


The True Power of Mortality

by Phenix_Demitto



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, BAMF Loki, Banishment, Dark, Earth, F/M, Human, Human!Loki, Hurt, Jotunn, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Feels, Loki Has Issues, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki's Children - Freeform, Loki's Kids, Loki-centric, M/M, Mention of Panic Attacks, Midgard, Miscarriage, Murder, Nightmares, Odin's A+ Parenting, Post-Avengers (2012), Punishment, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Serial Killer, Torture, Waterboarding, mortal, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-03-25 14:19:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 121,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3813700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phenix_Demitto/pseuds/Phenix_Demitto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As punishment for his crimes Loki is stripped of his magic, immortality and is banished to earth as a human, until he proves himself worthy. However Loki has long since given up trying to please his "father" and refuses to do what is expected of for him. But when an unexpected ally turns up at his door, Loki is sent spiraling back down a dangerous path as an old enemy threatens to return. The further Loki runs down this path the more his past seems to unravel and his choices seem to dwindle.</p><p>This is the story of an angry ex-god who isn't ready to simply die of old age. This is what happens when Odin underestimates a God of Mischief, even a mortal one at that, and actual thinks he'll take a punishment lying down. Because seriously even without his magic, Loki has a thousand years of fighting experience that he has no qualms in using.</p><p> <em>He didn't have an ounce of Æsir in his blood nor magic. He didn't even have a knife.. </em></p><p>  <em>Loki had never needed any of that - magic, Æsir heritage or weapons. Blood could be spilt, magic depleted and a knife blunted but he didn't need any of that. Loki never had. </em></p><p>Please check notes at the beginning of chapters for specific warnings</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fall

The chill of the chains around Loki's arms and neck were nothing compared to the coldness of his adopted Father's gaze. It bore into him from where he knelt on the hard floor of Asgard. Loki didn't have time to react when Odin thrust his hand deep into his chest, retching something out, in one fluid motion. 

Unbearable pain shot though him and he was unable to stop himself from crying out, it was like his heart was being ripped out. Pain burned through his veins blazing through each individual one of his cells. If he had been mortal he would have simply died from the shock. He saw Odin's face blank of expression staring down at him as Thor's cry of shock filled his ears.

Then he was falling; Falling hard and fast. The darkness only an abyss could possess swallowed him whole. He fell in silence but at a speed faster than anything he had ever experienced. He was descending into his own personal Hel.

His adopted Father's words echoed in his head "I take from you your powers, immortality and banish you to Midgard." 

He could feel of air rushing past him as he fell and fell. The coldness of the air bit into him.

"You must learn how to become worthy and benevolent. This is your punishment, to live among the people, you wished to rule, as a equal. Learn the error of your ways and you may regain your powers." 

He would have screamed curses at Odin for such an insult. He was a prince of Asgard! But he never got chance.

It felt like he would never stop falling. He could have been falling for minutes or hours and he would have no clue. His limps spread uselessly as he rushed down and down. He closed his eyes an accepted the fall.

They would pay. They would burn for this. The destruction they would feel would be nothing they had ever experienced. He would take everything from them.

The temperature began to drop as he plummeted down and down.

Then he crashed. 

Everything went black.


	2. New York Slasher

Loki slipped out of the broken backdoor, a bag full of goods on his back and a bloody knife firmly grasped in his hand. He grinned to himself as he snuck down an alley heading for home. 

He hadn't thought anyone had been home but upon entering he'd come face to face with a man twice his size. Loki had stabbed the stupid man over and over while he screamed and begged for him to stop. His knife had slid through the man's skin like it was made of paper, how fragile mortals were. He'd enjoyed how the blood had spilled out of the stab wounds soaking up into the carpet in unique patterns as the man gurgled. He had insulted him so he had killed him and by the Gods was it fun. 

He slunk down a dim street that he was familiar with. Not many people came down here it.

He wasn't really sure how long it had been since the fall. He guessed it had been about 3 months from the date between his failed world domination plot and now, where he was slinking home in the city of New York. 

He had made the news when he had fallen from Asgard. He had created a 30 by 30 meter crater in the middle of a Texan field. It was quite am impressive crater. 

A meteor is what the humans thought it had been, if only. He had been gone the time anyone had investigated the damage. By some miracle he had no damage to his body. At first he had thought it was because of his heritage but he later discovered it must have been Odin's 'Mercy' that he hadn't been harmed. 

He had climbed out of the hole, not as graceful as he had wanted, but still pretty epically if he didn't say so himself. He paused to transport himself to a different location. Nothing happened. He had growled and clenched his jaws trying again but nothing. He had then tried a simple cloaking spell not wanting to be watched by Heimdall but still nothing. No magic coursed through his veins. The heat, the warm and welcoming hum that he has known since as long as he could remember was gone. It was at that moment he knew he hated Odin and those weak pathetic creatures of Midgard.

Here he was 3 months later still stuck on this filthy planet. He had managed to break into a museum, which was too easy, and stole a bracelet that he had left on Midgard a couple of centuries earlier. It had made life a lot easier from there. It was enchanted so it cloaked him from the prying eyes of Heimdall and kept his location a secret and from then on he was able to move more freely without feeling permanently watched.

At first he had found his mortality enraging but he found ways around the weakness of his body. Yes eating and sleeping so regularly were something he doubted that he'd ever get used to but he had discovered the power of his mortal body. Surrounded by weak humans he realised it didn't take much to overpower them. He had underestimated the strength of the ones he had called ants.

He entered his flat, his eyes already feeling heavy. Damn his human form and its need for rest.

He flicked the lights on, since his curtains were always drawn no matter the time of day out of paranoia, and sighed at the blandness of the room. He missed his old room at Asgard. The flat here was simple; it was three rooms, the living room acted also as the kitchen and his tiny bedroom had an ensuite that was barely a bathroom since the shower often didn't even turn on. It wasn't much but it was all he could afford. 

He set his bag down and started emptying it out onto the table. A couple of grand in cash, jewellery and two laptops spilled out. Not a bad haul. 

He went over to the sink and slowly washed the blood off that had started to dry on the knife. The knife was his favourite, one of the only things left from his home. 

It's not your home anymore. He cursed himself.

The handle was made up of twisting snakes that were intertwined with each other. Their eyes gleamed green from the emerald stones set in them. He dried it off before slipping it back into his boot.

He pulled open the fridge and groaned. Noodles again then. He really need to stock up more regularly. Loki just couldn't get into the habit as he wasn't used to having to do so much himself.

He sank down on his beaten up sofa that had come with the place and flicked on the TV with noddles in the other hand. The TV was stolen and he definitely didn't see the point in paying for a TV licence. 

He settled for the news watching the latest events not really listening. He was more interested in his noodles. They were cold but by the Gods did they taste good. He almost laughed at himself. How the mighty had fallen.

"In other news," the news woman said in her ever monotone voice, "the New York Slasher has struck again."

Loki looked back up at the screen, smirking to himself.

He had started the occasional kill months ago, killing for many different reasons. At first it was rage and hatred, for he wanted to kill them all, but often he did it just to get what he wanted. He wanted them all dead so killing them off slowly would work just as fine.

Eventually the police and media picked up on the common aspects of the kills since he always killed with his knife, slashing them open or stabbing them to death. They all occurred on either people in their homes in a robbery, he refused to get a job after all, or just a general stabbing on multiple people in a shop. No witnesses. The stab wounds always similar. 

They had given him the name of the New York Slasher. They had given him credit for over a 100 murders, which amused him since there were many more. He really should move on soon before the police caught up with him. Without his powers there was a chance he could get caught. Unlikely though. He never left them any evidence to tie him to the murders but if the avengers got wind that he was in Midgard...

He shook his head and focused on the news woman.

"Yestaday at 5:15, the man believed to be the New York Slasher entered a department store and killed 3 members of staff and 15 by standers. They were all brutally stabbed, throats slashed, and 2 were shot directly in the head."

He smirked. Oh this kill. 

A woman had knocked into him and dropped all of her stuff while he'd been queuing. She had shouted at him. The pathetic ant went on and on. 

He'll admit he lost it. Stabbing her in public in the middle of a store probably wasn't the best idea but the Midgardian obviously needed to be taught who she was speaking to. 

Everyone in the store panicked when she fell to the floor bleeding out. He was forced to kill the witnesses. He says forced in a loss term. He had enjoyed it immensely. He didn't use to be the God of chaos and mischief for no reason. 

He stabbed most of them as they either tried to run or be a hero. It was disappointingly not much of a challenge. The ones who tried to disarm him were easily knocked to the ground and where he then slit their throat. He had to shot a couple of them to keep them from running and telling others about him. He wasn't keen on firearms, he disliked how they had a tendency to jolt back when fired or simply not fire at all, but they were useful for long distance very much like when the humans were running from him.

He expected the usual from the news story. Awesome kill blah blah New York Slasher is a mystery blah blah. 

"For the first time," the woman started on his small television set, "We have the first visual on the man likely to be the New York Slasher."

Wait, What? 

He dropped his spoon, staring at the screen.

The news flicked to a camera feed of the event. He stared unable to move as he saw the flickering image of himself dodge and dancing around the humans slashing each ones throats, sometimes kicking out at one trying to grab him, before moving to the others. He did look very graceful as one by one each human fell to the ground. His gun was pulled out and he watched as he shot the two people almost at the door with deadly accuracy. 

"It is yet unknown who the man is as his face is hard to see but if you recognise this man the police are urging the public to come forth."

He stared. Of course. He had forgotten about the cameras. He cursed himself for such stupidity. Loki had never made such a rookie mistake before. He had just been so in the moment that it had slipping his mind to erase the feed.

The camera footage was very grainy and by some miracle he never fully turned to the camera so there was a high chance no one would recognise him. Either way he should probably move city now, just to be safe.

He leant back letting out a sigh. He'd have hoped to be ruling Midgard by now but he was yet to work out how to do so yet.

A noise at his door brought him to the present. It sounded like banging, as if someone was knocking. It didn't sound quite right. He stood slowly, turning to the door. He didn't have any friends and no one ever knocked. 

He slipped his knife out and concealed it in his sleeve before slowly approaching the door.

The noise continued. A kind of banging or thumping against the door. What the hell?

Against his better judgement he gripped the handle and opened the door. He did it slowly trying to see who was there before they saw him.

The door flung open crashing against the wall nearly crushing his hand. There was a rush of black as something barrelled through the door and knocked him flat on the ground.


	3. An Ally

Tony Stark was in his lab like he was most days. He was fiddling with one of his last versions of the Iron Man suit, soldering a plate into place. He spent most of his time in his labs now. Ever seen Pepper had left him there had been no need to leave. When he did leave to get sleep night terrors took any rest from him. It was the reason she had left after all.

"Sir I believe that there is a video on the news that you would be interested to see."

"Not now, Jarvis." He snapped, trying to fit the plate on just right. Just one more inch and it would be perfectly in place.

"You programmed me to-"

His hands jerked and the plate fell off.

"Jarvis!" Tony hissed cutting him off. He glared down at the fallen piece of metal as if it had been its fault. He really was too tired to be doing this. "Let's see it then." He said with a sigh

"Right away, sir."

A video appeared out of nowhere in the air in front of him. He leant against his work bench watching as the video began with crossed arms.

It was a short clip that looked like it came from a security camera. It showed a skinny looking man with long dark hair flinging himself through a store, slashing people with a small knife as he went. He killed everyone in the store in less than a minute which was quite impressive. He didn't even pause to draw his gun and shoot the two people scrambling for the door.

"Why is this video of important, Jarvis?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You commanded me to inform you when people on your list 'annoying motherfuckers' were recognised on any media outlet."

"Huh." Tony frowned, he didn't remember writing that list. "Who is in the footage then?"

"From my analysis of the facial and body features there is a 97% chance that the man in the footage is Loki Odinson who you ranked number two on your list 'annoying motherfuckers'"

It felt like the air had got colder. That wasn't possible. Loki was in Asgard, facing some sort of trial rotting in some cell. He shouldn't be roaming free.

He swallowed, "Are you certain it is him?"

"97% certain, sir"

He nodded slightly trying not to let the image of glass shattering fill his mind, "Inform me immediately if any more information on Loki comes to light."

"Already on it, sir"

" Do you know where Thor is?" Tony asked, picking up his soldering iron. That guy needed to know that his insane brother was on a killing spree and sort this shit out.

There was a slight delay before Jarvis answered, "He is currently with Jane Foster, sir."

"Contact him immediately and tell him to get his ass down here."

"Certainly, sir"

He turned back to his suit.

"Sir you have a call coming through-"

He groaned and muttered, "Tell them I'm sleeping."

"It is Bruce, sir. He says it's urgent. He seems greatly distressed."

Tony sighed. So much for getting this suit finished.

\------

Loki crashed to floor, his head striking the floor hard. He hissed and struggled under the weight of what had knocked him down. His heart pounded and he growled as he raised his knife.

He went to strike, aiming for the heart, when his face began to become wet. He paused. His check became sticky and damp. Was he being licked?

He stared up into the eyes above him. They were dark green, just like his. Air caught in his throat as he finally took in what was on top of him. It wasn't a man like he had first thought it to be. It was a large wolf, twice the size of a Midguardian one. The wolf's fur was black and unnaturally thick. The paws that were pressed against him chest were enormous with claws as big and thick as knives.

The wolf lapped frantically at his face, whining.

"Fenrir..?" Loki whispered.

It couldn't be. This had to be a trick. Maybe he was finally losing it.

The wolf's ears twitched and it pressed its wet nose into his neck.

"Yes." Came a deep voice in his head.

Loki scrambled up from under the wolf, his eyes wide, before quickly slamming the door that was wide open. The wolf tilted its head to the side.

"Sorry, someone might see you."

That really would be a hard one to explain.

His throat felt dry as he took in Fenrir. He seemed so different. There were something different in his eyes that weren't there the last time he'd seen the wolf.

He fell to his knees and opened his arms out to the wolf. The wolf rushed forward, whining and barking, as Loki embraced him tightly. Fenrir rested his head on his shoulder licking frantically at his ear.

"I never thought I'd see you again, Fenrir." He murmured into the wolf's ear, grasping his thick fur around his neck that matched the colour of his hair.

Fenrir let out a low whine in response.

Loki pulled back, falling back onto his heels, trying to gain some composure. He refused to get all soppy and sentimental.

"I don't understand how you are here." He said with a deep frown as he ran his fingers slowly through the wolf's surprisingly soft fur. "You should be bound."

"It was Frigga, Father." The wolf said. His mouth didn't move but he could hear the words echoing in his mind as clear as if the wolf had spoken aloud.

"Frigga did this?" he asked, his eyes widening a fraction.

"Yes, she released me from my bindings."

"She released you?" Loki almost spluttered, "does fa- Odin know?"

The wolf shook its head and growled a little at the sound of the All-Father's name, "She wanted me to find you and try to warn you from the path you are taking. They have sent many to find you but no one can. I was only able to find you because of your scent."

Loki nodded and looked down at the stolen bracelet around his wrist. It was a thick silver band covered in complex runes he had carved himself a long time ago.

"It's probably because of this," he replied holding up his wrist to show his son the bracelet.

Fenrir eyed it, "That will be why." He paused and his tail stopped moving as he stiffened, "I am supposed to bring you back to her."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "But you're not are you?"

"No, they will only bind me again and do gods know what to you. "The wolf said looking him straight in the eye. "Father... I refuse to betray you by turning you in."

"Thank you Fenrir," He grinned at him, rising to his feet, "Your loyalty will not be forgotten." He paused for a second before continuing, "Does this mean you are staying here?"

"If you will have me." The wolf replied looking straight at him with a serious expression.

"Even though I'm.." He hesitated before spitting the vial word out, "human?"

Fenrir nodded, "You will gain your powers back, your trickery knows no end."

Loki smirked slightly. True. Very true.

"You will need an ally, especially with the enemies arising."

"Enemies?" He asked with a frown.

"Yes," Fenrir said solemnly, "I saw great grey creatures appearing from a rift as I followed your scent."

"What?" Loki gaped and stood up a little too quick.

Fenrir eyed him and if he was in a human form Loki swore Fenrir would have been quirking an eyebrow.

"Where did you see these creatures?" He demanded.

"Near a large tower with the words 'Stark' high in the sky."

"I must go," Loki said rushing for a draw. He grabbed out his throwing stars from the draw and slipped his coat long coat on. "I think I know these creatures. I must be sure. If they are who I think they are, I may be in trouble."

Fenrir stood up rising to the height of Loki's shoulder, "Let me help." he insisted

Loki held his hands out, "No you should stay here, you're too noticable."

\------

"Tony are you still there?" Bruce asked.

"Yes," Tony grunted, pulling his ironman bracelet on. "Get here asp, I may need you here. If this is Thanos.."

"I know," Bruce replied over the phone, "They are heading in your direction, be ready."

"I was born ready." Tony said and grinned when he heard a groan on the other line.

He flicked a button and his irons suit started fixing itself to his body as he made his way to the balcony.

\------

Loki sprinted down the street. His coat flew behind him as he dodged people making their way home and cursed the clatter of his throwing stars as they knocked against each other.

His breathing was hard and fast but he wasn't as bad as he had been 3 months ago. His body was now as strong and as agile as he could make it in such a short time. He had had to work out day and evening to get his body in the shape it was so he wasn't as weak as most mortals.

The mask covering his lower face, made breathing slightly harder, but it allows him to race down the street without being recognised instantly.

He had somehow managed to convince Fenrir that yes he was mortal but no he did not need his protection. It would have been great taking his son, two were better than one especially when one was a wolf that was twice the size of a normal one, but he couldn't take him it would draw too much attention to him.

If these creatures were the Chitauri he feared them to be he needed them dead. Why they were here didn't matter to him as long as Thanos wasn't. He needed this, he needed to kill them for what had been done to him.

He raced around a corner his feet managed to keep him balanced as he nearly knocking someone over. He looked up coming face to face with the Stark tower.

He came to a sudden stop, his heart pounding and his breath ragged. This was a bad idea.

He stared up at the tower that rised high up into the sky. The letters of Iron Man's name loomed high above him. This was the place of his failure. The place he had opened the portal and let lose an army that should have been unstoppable.

If was he was seen by the avengers... Or Thanos... He knew the price Thanos had set if he were to fail.

He swallowed; he did not fear the avengers. They were mere mortals, pathetic mewling quims. Thanos though...

Glancing around he saw no Chitauri in sight. Had they already gone? He shouldn't have been surprised. It had taken him a while to get down here from his flat.

He sighed about to turn away when something caught his eye. A shadow, a sort of shimmer moving towards the tower. It was subtle, something his mortal eye shouldn't have caught. Any normal mortal would have blamed it on a trick of the eye but he wasn't any mortal.

He clenched his jaw and threw himself forward. His blade slid from his sleeve as he sprang from the ground landing on the shadow.

The veil fell away revealing a snarling grey creature as it tumbled onto its stomach. Its eyes gleamed a radioactive blood red as it roared, trying to snap at him with its piranha like fangs. He managed to cling to its back as it swung from side to the side in attempt to shake him off. He was nearly impaled by its many spikes on its spine as it tried to shake and kick him off like a bull.

It really was the Chitauri.

He stabbed it at the top of its neck and drew the blade down with a single fluid movement as it tried to shake him off. He rolled off its back as it sank to the ground with a screech and turned in time to see more Chitauri racing towards him.

He grinned to himself and with a flick of his wrist flung a throwing star straight at the throat of one. The star arched through the air catching its throat and slitting it as it flew by. The Chitauri gurgled and fell with half of its throat pouring out of the deep slice, nearly tripping one behind it. The second throwing star only embedded itself in the shoulder of a Chitauri when he threw it.

He swore and drew his gun. He managed one shot to the Chitauri's head before he was knocked onto his stomach. He snarled, scraping his wrist on the rough ground, as the hand gun spun across the floor away from him. The Chitauri snarled slashing through his coat with its twisted claws. The claws cut into his back making him cry out as blood sprung from the wounds and the Chitauri would have surely killed him if it wasn't suddenly knocked off him.

He sprung up, not sure what to expect, and spotted the Chitauri that had knocked him down being ripped to shreds by a large wolf. The large wolf tore into the creature with its sharp teeth and shook it like a toy as it screamed in a high pitched screech.

Loki rolled his eyes. What had he expected? Any son of his would never listen to orders to stay behind, father like son.

He turned to see the pack of Chitauri nearly upon him. Without hesitation he launched himself head on into the pack with only a single blade, Fenrir now at his heel snarling.

He tackled the first Chitauri dodging its claws, gutting it with his blade, as he slide underneath it. Blood sprayed in his face as he leaped up before the body fell on him.

Another Chitauri jumped at him claws at the ready but Fenrir leaped up to meet it. Fenrir made the Chitauri look like a pup in comparison as he ripped it into it with a single slash of claws.

Loki dodged a blow and kicked one of them back as he whipped round to slit a throat of another. The Chitauri stumbled back and didn't have chance to react as he threw his last star deep into its throat. It hissed ripping the star out but he kicked it hard in the face and thrust his blade straight through the Chutauri.

Fenrir barrelled past him knocking two more to the ground with a swat of his massive paws before tearing them apart with tooth and claw.

Loki grinned widely grabbing a Chitauri by the neck and use it to flip over it onto the back of the one behind. He arched his arm high and wide and with a sharp swipe of his blade slashed its head clean off. Its head fell with a thud and slowly rolled to a stop.

Loki turned to the last Chitauri that now stood towering over him. It's teeth were bared dripping with thick drool. He quirked an eyebrow at it before stabbing it straight in the heart. He pulled out and watched smugly as it fell at his feet.

He looked at the mass of broken bodies surrounding him and Fenrir. His body hummed from the adrenaline and the feel of the kill. He was almost disappointed they were all dead.

A flash of red caught his eye. He raised his blade, covered in the blood of the Chitauri, as Iron man landed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First attempt at a proper action scene.  
> I apologize if it is badly written in advanced.


	4. The Rift

Tony's feet landed on the hard ground and the sight that met him shocked him. Bodies of about ten Chitauri lay at the feet of a masked man holding simply a knife, his long black hair covering one of his eyes. At the man's side a monster of a wolf towered just over his shoulders. It rose above the man, its hackles raised as it bared its snarling fangs. Its claws were drenched in the odd coloured blood of the Chitauri.

The man clenched his blade raising his gaze to meet his. It was unfaltered, fearless, even though the man couldn't see Tony's eyes through the suit.

The man shook his head glancing at the wolf, "No, come on." Answering a question no one, Tony could see, had asked.

He knew that voice. The thick drawl and dryness of it was so familiar. Where had he heard that voice?

He had little time to consider it before the man took off into a sudden sprint, the wolf thundering along at his heels. The man moved fast and was agile as the wolf lumbered at his side.

Oh no you don't. He thought.

Tony took off into the air, arching quickly as his thrusts kicked in. He sailed through the air easily and landed in front of them halting their escape. He raised his hand in front of him, the hand starting to power up.

"Another move and I'll shoot." He threatened.

The man stood frozen but the wolf snarled slowly edging forward. His hand started humming and brightening as the hand came to full power. He got ready to fire as he wolfs legs tensed as if ready to jump.

The man carefully put his hand on the wolf's shoulder.

"Son, don't" he said warningly.

Son? He'd heard him wrong because otherwise that was just weird.

The wolf huffed and eyed him with a sharp gaze. Tony felt like it was tearing him apart with its eyes.

The man didn't look like he'd broken a sweat. If he had really killed all those Chitauri he should be exhausted. He only had minor injuries and slightly torn up coat. That just wasn't right

"Who are you?" He asked, his arm lowering slightly.

"Why would I tell you that?" The man chuckled, "What would the fun in that be?"

Tony arched an eyebrow, "Maybe the fun of keeping your head?" 

"Ah, but you're not a killer." The man replied with such annoying confidence. 

\------

Loki could feel the breath catch in his throat; it made him feel a little light headed. Tony had his hand aimed straight at him. It was glowing a pure white that seemed to be get brighter and brighter. A single blow from that hand could do some serious damage to him in his current form. 

He couldn't out run Stark that would be impossible. He would either shoot him before he even got a meter or fly and block his path once more. 

He couldn't allow himself to be caught. He didn't want to think about what they would do to him when they realised who he was. 

The temperature of the air began to drop and Loki was brought back to the present. Stark had replied to him but that wasn't what caught his attention.

All around them the air was being drawn to a single point behind Iron Man. Loki could see a small purple spark flare up out of nowhere and then start to spin unnaturally. It span slowly at first but began to pick up speed in a moment of seconds and expand out growing into a hole in the air.

Loki's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse through the hole. It was a portal, to that place. That barren place he had forgotten existed. 

"Father the portal," Fenrir murmured in his mind, "something is coming through."

Loki swallowed inching backwards despite himself.

"I think we should take this elsewhere." He said stiffly, "Preferably we go our separate ways."

"And why would we do that?" Stark asked sounding amused.

"The portal behind you may be of more importance," he said dryly.

Stark turned just as a figure emerged out of the portal. Loki watched as the figure took in the Iron Man who was now pointing his hand at it instead and shouting something at it. Everything seemed to slow down as he took in the man and all his senses dulled so Loki didn't know what Stark had said. All he knew was Stark should have run. He knew this man and his body ached at the memories.

The figure flicked his wrists and Stark was suddenly lifted from the ground and hurled through a wall. The rubble tumbled down on the crumpled man. Iron Man lay still, almost lifeless, in the ruins.

His heart began to race and he turned thinking just maybe he could get around the corner without being spotted by the figure. He took one step before a force simply plucked him from the ground and threw him violently against a wall. He cried out and tried to fight against the force that held him in place. If he just had his magic, he would be able to counter it, but no he was mortal. Damn Odin.

"Who have we got here?" The figure mused. The man flicked his hand and his mask was ripped from his face by the force. "Ah Loki Odinson."

His face felt suddenly bare at the loss of the mask. 

"It's Laufeson." He hissed, in spite of his situation.

The figure chuckled without a hint of humour in it, "You haven't changed a bit, Little God."

"Neither have you, Thanos." Loki replied, trying to keep this face neutral. He could feel part of him wanting to fall to his knees. He wasn't that person anymore. He was never that person. He insisted to himself.

His eyes wandered to his son. He found Fenrir flat against the ground clawing and snarling against an invisible force. The wolf snapped and tore at the open air. It's powerful legs flailing uselessly like a new born wolf cub. Loki felt something burn inside him at the sight, something he had buried deep after his children were torn from him. He could feel it simmering deep in his stomach threatening to break free. Loki had thought he would never have such a feeling again.

He swallowed looking back at Thanos. His blue eyes seemed to have trapped electricity that sparked beneath its surface as the eyes bore into him.

"I wasn't expecting to find you here, little one." Thanos said and turned to glance at the pile of dead Chitauri with a deep frown, "Am I right in assuming you did this?"

Loki spat on him, "Yes." 

Loki held his chin up high looking his dead in the eye.

The Mad Titans eyes flared and he felt his body drop as the force pinning him left only to concentrated its full power on wrapping itself tight around his neck, suspending him off the ground. His knife fell from his hands and he started clawing desperately at his neck. His eyes bulged as he tried to gulp for air but it was too tight. He couldn't breathe. He kicked out uselessly as he tried to wrench the force from his neck. His lungs burnt and screamed from the lack of oxygen. He could see dots starting to appear at the edge of vision. This was it. This was how the great Loki Laufeson was going to perish - suffocation. If Odin could him now choking fruitlessly for the air.

The force suddenly disappeared and he dropped to the floor in a heap. He smacked his arms on the hard floor as he collapsed, gasping for air at the Titans feet. Why did his body need so much oxygen?

"You're human." Thanos said with a frown in his voice and kicked him hard in the side.

Loki crashed into the wall, groaning a little at the shooting pain it caused. He pulled himself up onto his legs into a crouched position.

"Well that's your fault isn't it." He hissed, grabbing for his knife.

"No, it is yours." The Mad Titan replied with a tone of disapproval, "You failed the task I gave you."

He grabbed him by his collar and dragged him up. Loki snarled at him trying to pull himself away.

"Tell me where the tesseract is, goddling." He demanded, shaking him harshly. 

"Never." Loki said and grinned at him, "You will never find it and I will never tell you where it is."

Thanos snarled and punched him hard in the face. His head snapped back at the force as he grunted. Loki forced his head back and pulled his face into a wide grin. It must have made him look almost insane.

"You will tell me where it is." Thanos said, his eyes burning into him.

"Never."

"Where is the scepter?" He hissed with his face inches from his own.

Loki blinked, stilling for a moment. "The scepter?"

Why would he want the scepter? It was just a simple enchanted weapon.

He narrowed his eyes, "Your playing a dangerous game, Odinson. Keeping two infinity stones from me will not end well for you."

He nearly gaped at him but he managed to keep a straight face. Two infinity stones, huh? The tesseract was in Asgard but he wasn't sure if Thanos knew that. As for the staff he didn't know where its exact location was. If he had known it had a gem in it; it would have changed everything, he probably would have kept a closer eye on it.

"You can threaten me all you want. You don't scare me." Loki said coolly, "You will never get all the stones."

"We'll see about that." Thanos glowered, starting to move towards the portal in massive strides, "Don't think I forgot my promise of what would happen if you failed to invade Earth." His face twisted into a dark shape before saying in a sinister way that made Loki what to shiver, " I will enjoy teaching you your place, especially now you have information I want."

Loki started to struggle as he realised what was happening. With each stride they drew nearer to the portal. No he couldn't go back, he won't. He didn't want to think what would come out of that portal afterwards, if he even did.

He clenched his knife and stabbed the Titan deep in the shoulder. Thanos roared, hitting him in the face. Loki snarled as his felt something crack.

The distraction caused Fenrir's bindings to break for a single moment. It was all the wolf needed. Fenrir snarled and launched himself at the Titan. He knocked the Thanios back with his full weight and the Titan tumbled back straight into the open portal. 

As Thanos fell a hand reached out and grabbed hold of Loki's ankle. Loki fell forward, clawing at the ground, as his ankle was dragged into the portal.

"Father!" The wolf snarled, nearly deafening his mind. 

Fenrir bit down on his coat collar and pulled. Loki gripped the scruff of the wolfs neck and tried to yank himself out of the firm grip around his ankle. His heart was pounding in his chest as he felt himself being drawn closer to the portal. The cool air from the other world brushed against his ankle. He gripped the wolfs neck tighter, he refused to go back.

"The portals closing." His son growled into his mind, "By the gods don't let go."

He clung tighter to Fenrir. His knuckles turned white as he tried to withstand the Titans powerful grip. 

There was a deafening bang like a gun shot and suddenly the bruising pressure around his foot was gone. With the loss of weight and the wolf still pulling, Loki toppled forward onto Fenrir. Fenrir let out a tiny whine of surprise as he fell backwards on to his back with his Father sprawled on top of him. He fell head first into Fenrir's soft stomach fur. Loki left out a soft sigh into the fur as he stilled for a second.

He lifted his aching body and tilted his head around to look for the portal half expecting to see Thanos enraged face but there was nothing. It had vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

Loki sagged, "Thank you, Fenrir."

The wolf huffed, nudging Loki with his nose, "I'm not letting you leave me that easily." Fenrir murmured into his mind.

Loki flinched slightly at the words. The memory he had tried to forget and tried to convince he didn't care about coming to mind. He pulled himself up, smoothing his top, and looked down at Fenrir. 

"What happened when you were barely more than a cub will never happen again, okay?" He said firmly through clenched teeth, "I won't let anyone separate us."

The wolf sat up and quirked his head a little, "Careful, father. I might think you actually have a heart."

Loki rolled his eyes and squatted his head. "You know what I meant Fenrir."

The wolf nodded, his eyes turning serious. "It wasn't your fault you know."

Loki let out a little laugh, "Right." 

Fenrir's eyes narrowed and he stood, rising to Loki's eye level, "I was bound without your knowledge."

Loki gritted his teeth, "I should have known f-" he paused and corrected himself, "Odin would betray me."

Fenrir let out a soft growl, "Don't." 

He passed past Loki before turning back, " I believe we should get out of here, before the Man of Iron awakens."

Loki nodded and followed his son, trying to push thoughts of the past to the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such short chapters just seems to be the way it is flowing out  
> Any sudden breaks in uploads will be due to exams so I apologise in advance
> 
> I always feel sorry for Loki when I think about his children. He never really got to spend much time with them before they were taken from him in the myths. :(


	5. Wounds Old and New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: minor Depictions of torture and gore

By some miracle they got back to his flat without being spotted. They stuck to backstreets for the most part to keep themselves hidden from view. The street was quiet apart from the slight rustle of the wind.

Fenrir was just too big to pretend he was a large dog and Loki was worried about being recognised. He kept glancing behind him every so often as they walked despite there being no one there. He cursed himself for such childishness but his mind keep coming back to those hard blue eyes and to that place.

They had promised him there was no realm that he could hide. That there would be no barren moon he could run where He wouldn't find him. The words seemed to hang over him like a death sentence but he was never one to follow rules. If he had his scepter then maybe he'd have some chance.

He ducked his head from the camera as he entered his apartment building. He knew there was no way of hiding Fenrir but it might make it that little bit harder if anyone checked the camera. He cursed his lack of magic, it would make things so much simpler.

He ushered Fenrir into his apartment and locked the door carefully. It quietly clicked shut and he allowed his back to sag onto the door. His back rested against its hard surface but he remained tensed up.

He watched as Fenrir started sniffing along the cold floor seeming to be investigating his flat. Fenrir nose brushed against the floor as he moved from one side to the other and then back again. Loki raised an eyebrow a little. There really wasn't much to smell or see in this pathetic excuse for an apartment. He was acting more like a dog than a wolf.

He sighed and picked his bag up from the corner and stared shoving his limited items in it; his stolen money, jewellery and two laptops. He went into the bedroom and shoved a spare top and jeans in the bag, not folding them. He slipped the bag onto his back, wincing a little as it knocked against the forgotten slash on his back, and went into the kitchen area. The pain sparked through him as he walked but he simply ignored it.

Fenrir sat down heavily in a corner and eyed him as he started violently yanking draws open one by one. He bent down and opened one of the lower cupboards. He gritted his teeth as bending down pulled at the cut on his back. He searched the cupboard until he pulled a lighter out and pocketed it; it should come in useful at some point. Fire always came in useful.

"What are you doing?" Fenrir asked.

"Packing," Loki replied standing up. He swayed a little from the sudden movement which made him feel light headed, "We need to find somewhere else to spend the night, we may have been followed back here."

Fenrir stood slowly and stretched. His legs stretched in front of him as his back curved and his mouth opened wide in a yawn, revealing his canines. He straightened after a couple of seconds and look up at him.

"That is probably wise," Fenrir said gruffly, "I hear the Midgardians are not so kind to beings they don't understand."

Loki nodded in agreement and made for the door but Fenrir padded in front of him to block his path, "Even so I don't think it is wise for you to leave this lodging in your state, father."

Loki frowned deeply at the huge wolf. Not concerned at how the wolf was almost towered over him since it wasn't in a threatening manner.

"I have little time to rest right now." He said through the grit of his teeth.

"At least let me heal you." The Wolf sighed.

Loki hesitated looking at him properly, "I didn't think Frigga would allow you in this realm with your magic."

"It is limited I can cloak myself and use small healing magic and other such spells." He grumbled, his ears falling flat on his head. He looked displeased to say the least.

"So you can't change your shape?" Loki asked, pushing part of his hair out of his eyes.

Fenrir's jaw tightened and he shook his head. 

Loki sighed. That would have solved a lot of problems because it would mean they could move more freely if Fenrir looked more like a Midgardian dog.

Fenrir nudged him with his snout towards the sofa and he allowed him to herd him to it. He knew it was wise to except the help even though he despised it. He might need his strength later.

Loki dropped the bag on the ground and it clattered against the hard floor as it fell on its side. He ignored the sound and pulled his coat and shirt off with little hesitation as he sat on the sofa. The sofa sunk slightly under his weigh as he settled into a comfortable spot.

He twisted his head to catch sight of the large gashes down his back. They were a lot deeper than he had expected. They were long ragged wounds that stretched from below his shoulder blades down to his hips. The gouges meant he could his open flesh either side. Blood still ran from the slashes but it seemed to have slowed and begun to form a crackled pattern of dried blood on his skin. 

Loki positioned himself so his back faced his son. He waited silently feeling a bit more vulnerable than he would have liked. The hot breathe of the wolf warmed and dampened his skin as Fenrir drew near. 

Ever since becoming human he had learnt firsthand why everyone dislikes the cold so much. It was bitter and painful. He had never really experienced cold properly because of his Jötunn heritage but after a number of weeks on the streets he learnt how harsh the cold could be. Right now with his skin open to the air he could feel coldness on it.

He didn't flinch as he felt Fenrir's wet tongue run along the first cut. It stung when the tongue was brought back and forth as Fenrir lapped at the cut. Hel it felt like it was being cut all over again. He didn't make a noise but each lick caused a painful sting sensation.

Slowly the pain began to dumb as he felt the faint buzz of magic shimmer along it. He welcomed the warm and familiar feel of the magic which pulled each cut together and sealed each one. The magic simmered through his veins but did not stay despite how much it ached for him to keep it.

Fenrir pulled away and Loki turned his head to examine his back. It was as if he has never been cut. There was not a single mark or scar covered his back. He pulled back on his top and coat as he stood again and was glad to cut off the cold air.

"Thanks." He said and reached out to stroke Fenrir's head. The black fur was warm and soft between his fingers. Fenrir tilted his head up into the caress much like a cat which reminded him of how thing once where. Back when Fenrir was free to roam the halls of Asgard and the forests. He would always have someone or the other with a hand stroking and patting him. He would often curl at the end of someone's bed, normally Loki's. It did not last.

They left the flat and took for the street once more. It was colder now as the sun was being to set leaving specks of orange and gold around the edges of the buildings.

"Where are we going?" Fenrir questioned after several minutes of silent walking through the dim street. 

"A couple of blocks over." Loki replied simply.

Fenrir blew some air through his nose, "We're not leaving New York?"

"No," he replied slipping his hands in his pockets for warmth, "I was going to but now I need to find my scepter."

Fenrir glanced at him, "Why?" He asked, "I thought you would want to get away from the man from the portal and the man of iron."

"I do but if I find my scepter it would change things." Loki said.

The wolfs face tightened and he cocked his head a little, "what is important about it?"

"I didn't realise at the time but it contains one of the infinity stones or so Thanos claims," He explained glancing around a corner before nodding to Fenrir that it was safe, "I had thought Thanos had the scepter but he seemed not to and since Thor didn't bring it back the humans must possess it."

"But surely you can't use the stone in your present form?" The wolf said, "What use is it?"

Loki grinned a little, "it would be a great bargaining chip or if I could find a way to harness it without disintegrating then I would have a powerful weapon at disposable."

"Midgard is a big realm, how do you plan on finding it?"

"You will see." He said with smirk.

\------

They ended up in front of an apartment block in a more secluded area of New York. The lock to the complex was busted so they were able to slip into the block without being haltered by a locked door.

"Do you own a home here?" Fenrir asked in his head. 

"No," Loki said, "that's the whole point, no trace."

"I see." Fenrir said simply as he followed closely behind.

They climbed the twisting stairs of the building. They were grim and had a couple of odd stains. He didn't want to know what they were, humans were just so disgusting. 

Loki stopped at the 3rd floor and looked down a corridor of identical doors. It was a small corridor of about four white doors that were a little worse for wear. The paint was cracking around the edges and had since faded to a more a yellow colour.

He nodded to an alcove, "Wait here," he said bending down to pull the knife from his boot.

He paused and watched as Fenrir flopped down into the cramped alcove with a huff.

"Good boy," Loki said with a grin and sniggered when Fenrir glared at him.

He went over to one of the doors and knocked. As he waited, he concealed his knife up his sleeve.

After a few moments the door creaked open and a woman stood in the doorway blocking the warm glow of the apartment. Her brown hair flopped in her tired looking eyes as she stared at him.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her eyes wandering up and down him cautiously.

He gave her a blazing smile, "Yes I was wondering if I could interest yo-"

She scowled, her grip on the door tightening, "Whatever your selling I don't want it." She snapped. 

"Of course, of course." He said sweetly moving closer to the door, "Can I just ask one question? It won't take long."

He moved closer, lowering his head timidly to avoid eye contact.

"I suppose," she said, loosening her grip on the door.

"Does this hurt?" He asked calmly. 

"What?" She asked leaning in with a confused expression.

He lunged arching his arm through the air, the blade shot down into his palm just as he reached her neck. "This." He said with a wide grin and the blade sliced through her neck, cutting her head clean off. She didn't have time to make a sound before her head thudded to the floor in a pool of red just seconds before her body folded in on itself with a thump. 

He stepped over the body and entered the apartment without as much as a glance at the still headless body.

It seemed to be getting easier and easier to kill humans. They were just so trusting opening their doors for anyone. He chuckled to himself.

He stalked down the tiny corridor to the living room. The room wasn't much bigger than his own. What took up most of the room was a man. He was in the centre of the room still like a rabbit in the headlights of a car. His eyes were wide as he took in Loki.

"Who are you?" He demanded shakily as if he hoped to hide his fear.

"A friend." Loki said softly.

He yanked the mans hair back and slit his throat in a single fluid motion. The man gurgled and fell to the ground. Blood spilled from his neck, spreading across the floor, as he twitched and clawed.

He left the room and checked the rest of the apartment for anyone else as the man bled out alone. He found only evidence of two people in the apartment so he went back to the door and let out a low whistle. 

He heard a small grunt and then the scratching of claws against the floor as Fenrir padded up to him from his hiding spot.

Fenrir climbed over the body of the woman and Loki closed the door behind him.

"That didn't take long," Fenrir remarked.

Loki smirked but didn't reply. His stomach gurgled as he entered the living room once more. He sighed and went to the fridge that was in the tiled corner of the living room that worked as the kitchen. 

The coolness of fridge caused goosebumps to appear on his arms as he examined the contents. There seemed to be only a set of microwave meals, a weird tree-like vegetable and some milk. 

"Are you hungry?" He asked glancing over the fridge door. There was no meat so he didn't really know what he could offer him. He wasn't sure wolves could or should eat pasta.

The wolf nodded and the eyed the mans body on the ground. Loki followed his gaze to the man, who's blood was slowly spreading out into the carpet. The man's eyes were open and staring blankly at the open air.

"Do you mind?" Fenrir asked, now hovering over the body and licking his lips with a hungry expression.

"No," Loki said dismissively, "They'll only start to rot and begin to smell."

The wolfs eyes lit up and he tore the mans left leg clean off with a jerk of his head and started pulling the flesh from the bone in long strips.

"Want me to save you some?" Fenrir offered between bites.

"No thanks," Loki said shoving his own food into the microwave.

"Your loss." Fenrir hummed, breaking into a bone to suck out the marrow. The bone cracked easily between his teeth causing crunching noises to echo across the living room. 

The wolfs snout was completely drenched in blood by the time Loki curled up on the sofa with his own meal. It was quite hot so he had to balance it on his lap rather than in his hands.

Loki watched his son out of the corner of his eye as he ate. Fenrir's tail was thumping against the ground as he tore the man's chest open and chewed at the content. He would have offered to cook it but he knew Fenrir liked his meat raw and at body temperature, it apparently tasted better that way. 

He watched as Fenrir tore into each organ and gobbled it down with a content expression. Watching him eat a person wasn't as off putting as he knew it should be. The person was already dead so what did it matter? He however refused to join him in eating the man. He had some morals at least. It wasn't cannibalism exactly but it would feel like it. Humans didn't even taste that nice anyhow.

When they'd finished, Fenrir had ended up eating both humans. He really did take after the Asgardians. Loki hadn't ended up eating all of his meal. His stomach had felt too tight and clenched. He didn't really eat a lot anymore full stop. A meal a day if he could be bothered.

For the first time in a long time when he curled up in bed he wasn't alone. Over his feet Fenrir lay. He was a nice body warmer but really it was just nice to have familiar weight of his son on his legs. It reminded him of how things once were; Fenrir curled at the end of his bed barely in his teens. Even though he had his own bed he always chose to sleep with Loki and he liked it. Many days when he'd read his books in his chambers Fenrir would lay across his lap snoring softly as he stroked him between pages. He was the only one who sat with him at night when everyone was partying and he wished for the quiet. If only Fenrir had stopped growing.

Loki fell asleep easily feeling safe with the wolf on the bed and for once he thought maybe he would sleep in peace.

That wasn't the case.

\--

He was dangling from Bifröst, his legs flailing under him, with the abyss below expanding endlessly beyond even Yggdrasil reach. He looked up at Thor, trying desperately to cling to the spear. Thor's face was neutral with his blonde hair falling around his face as the wind caught it. His knuckles were white as he felt his grip slipping. Gods he was slipping. He didn't want to fall. He didn't want to die.

"Brother.." He whispered looking at him.

His breath was tight and his feet hung uselessly.

"You're no brother of mine." Thor hissed, his face twisting in disgust.

No.. He couldn't hate him. He was the only one who cared about him. The only one who's opinion mattered. He felt something ache inside him. He grappled for the spear trying to pull himself up onto the bridge.

"Frost giant." Thor snarled with rage and kicked him. 

He lost his grip and he fell and he fell. 

\--

"Thor!" He cried, the feeling of falling jolting him awake. He twisted in the sheets his eyes jerking open. 

Blue. 

Blue eyes stared down at him. 

"No.." He gasped.

Please not the pain.. He couldn't.. The heat. The blood..

He nearly sobbed. 

Not again. 

His breath was fast. He couldn't breathe. Air was going in and out too quick.

"Father, father. Calm yourself."

He blinked, his breath ragged. He looked again. 

He didn't want the pain. He wanted it to stop. The blood.. too much blood. His blue skin.. the gorges... no no no...

He started up at the eyes. They weren't those blue eyes of Thanos; they were darker. They were Fenrir's.

Shit. He covered his face with his hands curling in on himself. He heard Fenrir shift and suddenly he was engulfed in heat as the wolf curled around him almost protectively.

"You're safe." Fenrir murmured softly.

He pressed his face into his fur, his cheeks burning slightly. He had woken from a nightmare like a child. The wolf nuzzled his hair gently as his breathing slowly levelled.

"You're supposed to be evil, Fenrir." He said in cracked voice, trying to point out how he really shouldn't be curling in on his father in such a caring manner.

The wolf scoffed, "I'm only as evil as you."

Loki closed his eyes, not answering, one of his hands grasping a piece of fur between his fingers. He should feel embarrassed for the display of emotions, and he was, but he could sense Fenrir didn't care. This was odd. 

He curled in and expected the warm embrace of the wolf. The image of Thor's angry face filled his mind. He had pushed him. Damned him to the abyss. No.. It was a trick. Thanos manipulation, it had to be.

As he fell back to sleep he was aware of the tiny spark of doubt. What was real? What wasn't? His mind had been torn open and mangled.

He couldn't even be sure he was in Midgard. Maybe he was still with Thanos and this was just another attempt to make him submit. 

\---

"Tony, can you hear me?" 

He groaned a little and slowly pried his eyes open. Tony's head throbbed like he was experiencing a painful hangover. Not the worst hangover he'd ever had though. God had he had bad hangovers.

The helmet of his suit pulled back and he breathed in the fresh air. It was cool and fresh to his throat and lungs. He opened his eyes properly to look up into the concerned face of Banner who was leaning over him. His brows were furrowed together and his hair looked even messier than usual.

"Nice of you to join me." Tony muttered before pulling himself up out of the rubble of the ruined wall and wobbled a little under his own weight. He straightened quickly trying to hide the shakiness. His head seriously hurt. It felt like someone was hitting it over and over and hadn't got the message that it was okay to stop.

"I've been here for a couple of minutes," Bruce sighed, fiddling with the edge of his sleeve, "You were completely out cold when we got here."

Tony turned to see who the 'we' was. He looked in the direction of the mass of alien bodies to see a swarm of Shield agents bagging the lifeless corpses into black bags and then putting them into a van. That would be the 'we' then, doing typical Shield business. Well, that was just great. He was a great fan of how shield butted in where they were welcome. 

The masked man and the wolf were nowhere to be seen from what he could see and neither was the portal that had appeared and disappeared out of thin air. 

"Have they detained anyone?" Tony asked hopefully, even though he knew the answer.

"No," Bruce said slowly with a frown beginning to form, "Why?"

"Damn it." Tony muttered. They must have gotten away. They had seemed very eager to avoid conflict even though they had taken out a pack of Chitauri with what seemed to have only been a knife and a wolf. Maybe it was mutated husky? Who knew what Shield were up to. Yeah it could be mutated husky that had got a way. It would explain its size. God was it fucking huge.

Bruce's frown deepened as he shuffled from one foot to the other, "Are you injured?"

Tony shook his head. Nothing hurt too much par his head, which ached. His suit broke the impact of smashing through a wall as it always did. He wasn't called a genius for nothing. He knew how to make a decent suit.

"Either way you should-" Bruce started.

"No I've got more important things to do." He said with a wave of his hand. "I'll get a check up later." 

Okay that may be a bit of a lie, he probably wouldn't get checked out, but he felt fine.

He needed to find out who this man was and how he had taken out so many Chitauri. He felt like he should know who he was, like it was blindingly obvious, which only irritated him further. It was a higher priority than getting himself checked out.

"What is more important?" Bruce asked flatly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Someone was here." He admitted giving him a sideward a glance, "I need to find out who. They took out all of the Chitauri with little effort so we may have a new player on the board."

Bruce raised an eyebrow and slide his hands in his pockets, "I thought you had killed the Chitauri."

"No they were dead when I got here." He said as he crossing his arms loosely, "Luck for them or they would have got a worse beating."

"What did they look like?" Bruce questioned, his nose wrinkling a little.

"Well he was average height," he started, "black hair, skinny. He was really skinny even skinnier than that girl that night when-" Bruce cleared his throat and gave him a look," anyway I couldn't see his face he was wearing a mask that covered half his face and he had this massive wolf with him. It was fucking huge, up to his shoulder. More like a bear than a wolf now I think of it."

Bruce pulsed his lips, "I think I need to check you over, you could have a concussion." He said, not commenting on what he had said. Tony noticed his friend's knuckles were becoming white.

"I don't have a concussion," Tony said with a scowl, "I know it sounds a little unbelievable but this wolf was huge. I swear the man called it son as well, which can't be right. Then this portal opened and-"

"I'll believe you about this wolf thing when I get you checked out." Bruce insisted. 

Tony shook his head, "It's true I swear."

"You either come with me or big guy is coming out." Bruce said firmly.

Tony narrowed his eyes. He was lying. 

Bruce sighed, "or would you rather I tell Fury about all those classified files you hacked?"

"Fine," Tony said and rolled his eyes, "only to save Fury the embarrassment of finding out how bad his security is. It might upset the poor guy."

Bruce ignored the comment and pulled his forward by the arm. Tony pulsed his lips slightly but let Banner drag him into the tower.

As they walked Tony deactivated his suit so that it disappeared back to just a bracelet. With the weight and confining nature of the suit gone it was easier to move.

They climbed into the lift. The ceiling spot lights illuminated the whole space. He needed to remember to get some of the lights removed, they were a little over the top, especially with this headache.

When he looked over at Bruce he saw he was still wearing a tight expression. Geez he worried too much. He had done more damage on a night out than today. He hadn't really done much today anyway, par get psychically bitch slapped into a wall. Not that he was going to tell Bruce that.

"Medical floor, Jarvis." Tony said calmly.

"Right away, sir," Jarvis replied and immediately the lift started to rise, "I have gained more video of the man believed to be Loki Odinson in New York. It is ready to be viewed whenever you're ready, sir."

Tony went still slowly turning to look at Bruce. Bruce's eyes were as wide as a fish and his mouth was flopping back and forth. 

Please don't hulk out.. Please don't hulk out.. 

He didn't want to get squashed also this lift was expensive. 

"Tony?!" Bruce spluttered, "What is Jarvis talking about? I thought Loki was Asgard."

Tony cleared his throat, "So did I." He said with a tiny laugh, "turns out he isn't."

Oh god was he going to kill Jarvis later. Cut him to pieces for sure.

The doors opened with a ping revealing the medical bay.

"When where you planning on telling me!" Bruce shouted, storming out of the lift.

Tony followed him into the medical bay, "Bruce I'd only just found out before you called. I thought Thanos was a little more important."

Bruce spun around as if to shout something but ended up just glaring. 

"I'll show you the clip..?" Tony offered, "A glass of milk too?"

Bruce rolled his eyes. "On the chair now." He ordered, pulling some stuff out of a draw by the examination chair "This isn't over." He added.

"Of course not." Tony muttered, climbing reluctantly into the chair.

It took Bruce only a couple of minutes to examine him, which consisted of poking and prodding with instruments, before he concluded that he was fine and did not in fact have a concussion.

"I told you!" Tony whined.

Bruce looked like he was trying not to laugh, "You can never be sure. Better safe than sorry." He insisted.

Tony slide off the chair with a huff, "I suppose you'll want to see the video of Loki now?"

Bruce nodded, "I definitely do."

"Jarvis." Tony sighed.

The video from earlier popped up and he waited patiently for Bruce to watch it. It was interesting seeing it a second time. He noticed the way it seemed to be perfectly choreographed. Loki seemed to fly through the air as if he weighted nothing and took each person out in a methodical animalistic way. It was kind of scary.

Afterwards Bruce turned to him looking a little pale, "Are you sure this is him?"

Tony shrugged, "it's a high possibility, why?"

"I've seen this clip on the news." 

"You have?" He said warily, not liking where this was going.

"Yeah, it's the first known sighting of The Slasher." Bruce said whilst chewing at his lip.

"The Slasher?" He repeated, "As in the motherfucking New York Slasher?" He almost exclaimed. Holy shit that would make Loki a serial killer. He had to remind himself that Loki had infact tried to take over New York so killing people might not be a big deal to him

"Yeah, it's the same clip of The Slasher."

"Fuck." He swore, running a hand through his hair. 

"Let's see the other clip then." Bruce said with a sigh.

"Jarvis." He said, might as well get it over with.

"Right away, Sir, though explaining the full command would be a lot easier."

"You know what I wanted, Jarvis."

He swore the AI sighed a little before showing them the clip.

It started with a man coming to a sudden stop. His long coat settling behind him as he seemed to be looking for something. The setting seemed familiar.

"Is that..?" Bruce started.

His eyes widened as he saw a tower in the background.

"Yes.." Tony said softly, "it's the Tower."

The view was hard to catch but he could see a similar black mask covering the lower part of the man's face as he leapt at a shadow. The shadow seemed to shimmer and then it revealed a Chitauri, which the man simply gutted with a knife that came out of nowhere.

Breathe caught in his throat slightly as he watched the man throw something at the throats of an oncoming Chitauri.

"Those are throwing stars.." Bruce murmured to no one in particular.

Huh. Made sense.

The man was suddenly knocked onto his stomach by a Chitauri and if Tony didn't know better he would have thought him dead but suddenly out of nowhere a wolf knocked the beast off the fallen man.

"See I told you there was a wolf!" Tony said, clapping his hands together, "I may be a scientist but I'm not mad"

Bruce lips quirked a little but he didn't respond.

They watched as the wolf and the man took out all of the Chutauri with little efforts. They moved as one like a deadly team. It was a bit disconcerting to watch. 

As the man dispatched the last Alien he saw himself land.

"Look it's me," Tony said with a grin.

Bruce huffed, "typical , you turn up after they were all dead."

"I came as quick as I could."

"They were right outside your house!"

"You try putting the suit on quickly." He muttered.

Bruce suddenly started choking a little in what Tony suspected was laughter as the image of him smashing across the screen flashed before their eyes.

"How did you not notices the portal?" Bruce asked with a slight grin.

Tony shrugged sheepishly, "I was kind of focused on the truck sized wolf- holy shit.."

He trailed off as Thanos suddenly had the man pinned to the wall. Well the man was definitely Loki since it was obviously him without his mask even if his hair was a little long. Tony didn't know how Loki still looked so manly even with the long hair. It must be an Asgardian thing.

They watched the rest in silence. They watched as Loki was nearly ragged kicking and screaming into the rift. Tony thought for sure that he was going to be taken for a second but the portal suddenly closed, luckily not cutting Loki's foot off like what he had seen too many times in Sci-Fi movies.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why kill the Chitauri? Aren't they on his side?" Bruce said.

"Yeah they were his army. Maybe it's a trick or something?"

"It's definitely confusing I'll give him that. What did he say to piss Thanos off so much?"

"Asked him where momma smurf is?"

Bruce rolled his eyes, "He's not that blue."

Tony huffed, "He kind of is." 

He swiped his hand getting rid of the video feed, "so you believe me now about the man and the wolf? Well now it's Loki since I didn't know that at the time."

"Yeah I believe you. I don't understand why he's with a wolf though."

Tony shrugged, "Well he is bat shit crazy. Why not add a fucking wolf to the mix?"


	6. Scheming

Early the next day Loki woke still wrapped in the warm embrace of his son. Fenrir's fur was pressed against the exposed skin of his back and felt roasting warm and as soft as silk. He couldn't remember the last time he had woken so warm. It wasn't uncomfortable warmth. It was the warmth that was comforting and meant he hadn't fallen asleep alone.

He tried to climb out without waking Fenrir but failed. The second he shifted the wolf's eyes were on him. They seemed to stare deep into him, searching for something, almost like the wolf was concerned for him. 

No... no one looked at him like that. He must have misread the expression.

He left the flat, after a quick shower, telling Fenrir he would be back in the evening and ignored the wolf's sulky response. The wolf flopped down on the sofa and eyed him as he made for the door. Fenrir's teeth cracked through a left over leg bone as Loki closed the door.

He didn't want to stay in the flat longer than he had to. He just wanted to forget what had happened last night. He hated the weakness he had shown in front of his son. He had not seen his son in so a long and the first night he had shown weakness. It was shameful. He wouldn't blame Fenrir if he left while Loki was gone. Either way he had to leave the flat early, there was more important things to do; he needed to get the sceptre. 

A couple of blocks over he entered a pawn shop that he had been to too many times. The outside of it was shappy but he had stopped caring. The sign was blackened and the letters than since faded. It didn't need the sign after all.

The door opened with an annoyingly chipper bell jingle. He wanted to rip it off but he doubted it would be appreciated. One day he vowed. 

He moved to the small wooden front desk just past the glass cabinet containing jewellery to electronics. They all had been placed with no seeming order. Most price tags couldn't be seen because another object was covering it. How he sold anything was beyond him.

He hit the small gold bell on the desk violently. He doubted it was real gold but he didnt put it past him. Loki dumped his bag on the desk with a loud thump as a short looking man came out of the back of the shop. His brown hair fell over his piercing dark brown eyes that were almost black as he peered around the corner with a deep frown. His serious expression fell away when he saw Loki.

"Luke!" He grinned, "What have you brought me? Bet it's good." He said with a slight twang moving around the counter to pull him into a tight strong hug much like Thor used to.

"Eric," Loki huffed standing stiffly in the hopes he'd let go, "you know I dislike your hugs." He said flatly.

"That's why I do it. " Eric chuckled pulling away, "Besides you owe me."

Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Eric liked to bring this up nearly all the time. Eric had helped him from being mostly homeless to getting an apartment and generally giving him an income. Loki was sure Eric knew he stole all the stuff he brought him but it helped his business so he didn't ask questions, which is why he liked him. Without Eric he'd probably still be on the street; it was how they had come to meet. Loki had pretty much tried to mug him. 

Loki unzipped the bag and emptied the jewellery and laptops onto the side. They clattered and rolled across the desk before coming to a stop in a rough pile.

Eric whistled, "Sweet."

"I imagine they would taste quite bitter if you were to eat them." He replied dryly.

Eric rolled his eyes and started counting out the jewellery and examining them. Loki wandered off to the back without bothering to ask. This place was a second home to him, one of the things that didn't change. He knew Eric wouldn't mind him wandering off. If he did, he could just fuck himself.

Inside the back room was where Eric kept guns and weapons he sold under the counter as to say. Knives sung from hooks alongside variety of other weapons. The whole other side housed gun after gun, which was his least favourite side of the room. Guns were just so messy, no style or skill to them.

He was examining one of the knives when Eric slipped into the room.

"Should have guessed you were back here." 

Loki ignored him, flipping the knife in his hand. It was a double sided knife. One end was twice the size of the other. The two blades of the knife made a faint S shape as they sprung from the small handle.

"How much for this?" Loki asked, spinning it in his hand.

Eric shrugged, "I'll let you have it for 20, Luke."

He nodded his thanks. Luke had become a kind of alias that he used. It was similar to his name but not to similar that people made a connection. He was sure Eric knew it wasn't his real name but he could never be sure if Eric was his so they were even. He liked it, Eric never asked questions.

He slid the knife into his pocket, "I need a new gun and some more throwing stars as well, none of those cheap blunt ones though."

Eric's eyebrows shot up, "You only just got that gun," he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, "I'm not even going to ask."

Eric went over to a draw and pulled out a set of stars and handed them to him. Loki held them up to the light and flipped them in his palm, watching as they flickered under the florescent bulb. They seemed okay. They were a slightly different shape from the last he had used. They were more curved at the edges which could be good or bad. To test them he loosely gripped one between his fingers and flicked his wrist allowing it fly through the air. It lodged itself in the far wall. They weren't as fluid as the others but they were sharper. Loki ignored Erics irritated sigh that was probably because of the hole in the wall he had just made and went over to the star and pulled it out before sliding them into his back pocket. 

He silently waited for Eric picked out a gun for him. He really wished he hadn't left it outside Starks tower but there was nothing he could do about it now. He would just have to pay for a new one.

"Will this do?" Eric asked, holding out a sleek looking gun. They all looked pretty similar though , "it's a bit better than the one you bought last time."

Loki nodded and took it, "it will suffice, will the jewellery cover the cost?"

Eric smirked, "Oh yes."

"Good. Now, I require your computer."

Erics eyebrows shot up, "you've never taken me up on my offer before."

"Well now I am. I need to do some tasks without being monitored and I need to access the 'deep web' as you called it."

"Are you in some sort of Trouble?"

"It does not concern you, mortal."

Eric laughed, "Chill, you're quite welcome to use my computer. Come on."

Loki gritted his teeth but followed him deciding he needed the computer more than hitting Eric for laughing at him.

They climbed some stairs. They were steep and made of wood that creaked with complaint after every step. Eric led him down the hall to a small room. It felt more like a closet than a room but despite that it seemed to house a lot equipment. Large electronic boxes filled the room and wires snaked across the floor all leading to the computer in the middle of the room.

"Is this all necessary?" He asked, waving to the wires.

"It is if you don't want to get arrested. Your activity will not be tracked."

Loki nodded silently.

"I'll leave you to it then." He lingered for a second in the doorway before leaving him to it.

Loki sat in the chair and turned the computer on. He needed a way into Stark Tower but to do that he'd have to get past his security. He needed the location of the sceptre and if anyone was to know Stark would. He knew Stark would be the type to keep tabs on organisations so on his computer would probably be where the information he needed laid.

He started with how to override most alarm systems. It took him less than an hour to work out how to disable must alarm systems and doors he would need. 

Next was the harder part; how to hack into Starks computer and make a virus to disable his 'Jarvis'. 

There were so many rules and codes when it came to hacking. He knew that it probably would take humans years to learn the skill. He could feel his brain whirling as it took in the new information and worked through the problems. He'd always been the academic type so really when he but his mind to it hacking wasn't really that hard when he put his mind to it. It was similar to the magic he used to learn. You simply had to understand its framework and what made it tick. Like magic if you accepted how it worked then you could harness it. The more he read and the more rules and coded he memorised the easier it got.

He was so focused he didn't hear Eric come in to the room until he spoke. Loki refused to admit he flinched at the sudden sound.

"Here was me hoping you were just watching Hentai or learning how to build a bomb."

Loki growled a little closing the tab he had been reading. 

"Hey," Eric said raising his hands, "I'm not bothered. Hacking can be useful but you're not going to learn much by just reading about it."

"What would you have me do then?" Loki asked with narrowed eyes.

"By doing it for real." Eric replied on with a smug expression," here let me show you." He said grabbing the keyboard without even waiting for a response.

He rested his head on his hand while he watched the human explain how to get past a locked computer. He bore his eyes into him with his chin jutted out as he waited for Eric to stop jabbering.

"Quite sulking." Eric said, pushing the keyboard back to him, "come on then see if you can do it."

Loki took the keyboard and within a minute of tapping at the keys he was in.

"Huh." Eric's said as his eyes widen a fraction, "Let's try something harder."

Each time he gave himself a task he was able to remember what he had read and was easily able to bypass the problem. There were a couple of times Eric had had to show him what to do but for the most part he worked it out himself. He then explained the need for a virus which only made Eric smirk and so they continued.

The time they were sure everything was covered it was past 4 in the afternoon. Eric gave him a memory stick and he quickly downloaded the code they had made. It should work the trick on the 'Jarvis'.

He went down the stairs, his bag on his back now empty par for the money he had earnt, and left through the back without so much of a goodbye. Eric didn't seem offended, not that Loki cared. Humans and there easily hurt egos. 

He walked out into the parking lot, enjoying the slight chill as the wind brushed his hair back. He felt a presence as if something was watching him. He turned to a set of bushes and cast his gaze across them until he spotted a pair of blue orbs.

He sighed, "Fenrir, I can see you, you know."

The wolf stood and shuffled out from the bushes. He shook himself back and forth, like a dog, dislodging the leaves caught in his fur. It made him look young even though he could tower over him if he wanted to. It wasn't the size Loki was used though. Back on Asgard Fenrir had been twice the size that he was now. So really his size wasn't off putting at all since he was really much larger.

"I wasn't hiding from you." The wolf hummed through his head.

"Good." Loki replied flatly, "Otherwise you failed miserably. What are you doing here?"

The wolfs ears dropped a little at his tone, "I just wanted to be sure you were safe."

Loki rolled his eyes. He had known Fenrir enough to not fall for those round puppy eyes, "You mean you were bored."

The wolf huffed and Loki eyed his tail as it brushed back and forth along the dusty gravel. The dust caught in the fur giving it a misty grey look.

Loki perched on the edge of the path, "I've got a plan to find out where my sceptre is" he said slowly.

Fenrir sat heavily in front of Loki, resting his head on his huge paws, as his eyes met his own. They were dark blue and serious. Sometimes Loki forgot how old Fenrir was and the damage that Odin had done.

"I think there's a chance the Iron Man has information on his computer that will lead me to it."

The wolf twisted his head a little, telling him without words that he had no idea what he was talking about.

Loki pulled his long hair from his eyes and shuffled a little not enjoying the roughness of the ground.

"He is always delving into things that don't concern him so if I can get enter the tower and get the information we will be at a high advantage."

"How do you plan on getting in?" 

"Getting past Stark in this form." He said flatly with a wave at his annoyingly mortal body, "will be near impossible but if there was a big distraction, say in the city centre, that causes him to leave his residence for a short amount of time..." He trailed off, giving the wolf an innocent look.

The wolf perked up a little and a long grin started to form across his face, revealing his sharp canines, "What sort of distraction are you after?"

Loki chuckled a little, "I don't know, perhaps a large wolf tearing a crowd of humans apart."

He watched as a dark gleam sparked under the surface of the wolf's eyes, "That could be arranged."

"Is your hide still as strong as ever?" Loki asked, remembering the days when neither sword nor arrow could pierce the wolf fur.

"Of course." The wolf huffed.

"Good, because these humans have interesting weapons that seem to do a lot of damage. Not as much damage as you will do though."

A slow grin spread across the wolfs face. It was a grin that promised nothing less than Ragnarök.


	7. The Wolf in the City and The Snake in the Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* This chapter contains depictions of violence and gore that may be upsetting to some readers

Fenrir crouched low behind some overflowing bins, simply watching the humans milling around the busy streets. They moved in and around each other like ants. They all parted and shifted around as one moving mass, but they never quite touched apart from a couple collisions that ended in cursing and glares. The cars on the road made great growling noises that hurt to the ear as they slowly rolled along the clogged road. The humans all seemed to be moving with purpose but oblivious to their surroundings. They walked without armour or visible weapons. He had never seen such defensive beings on two legs before. Asgardians would never dare walk around so exposed but these humans walked with thin furs around them, they weren't even real furs from what he could see.

Fenrir gnashed his teeth together, resisting the urge to wag his tail. He couldn't wait. It had been so long since a hunt and never in his life had he seen so much prey. Back on Asgard there were huge wild boar but they never went in packs and they always had massive tusks, which made them hard to kill without being impaled. Their flesh was often tough but these human's flesh looked soft and tender. It all looked so easy for the taking. No wonder his Father had sent him alone. 

He smiled a little to himself. Father... When they had been apart, he had wondered often how he had been faring; whither he had even given him a second thought. Father hadn't changed a bit in appearance. He had the same black hair and devilish green spark that Fenrir shared, but he could tell he wasn't the same. Heartless they called Loki but how wrong they were. If only they had heard his father's angry screams when he heard of Fenrir's binding. Never in all the Realms would they have seen such rage.

His gaze met the sky. The light was beginning to fade. 

It was time. 

He rose to his feet and slowly stretched out each claw, enjoying the rough stone beneath his paws. It was nice. It was different to the stone of the cave he had grown accustom to. If he never stepped foot in a cavern again it would be too soon.

He stepped out into the centre, puffing out his shoulders to make him seem even bigger than he was. Even so he towered over most of the humans and even some of the cars. He caught the sound of quickly exhaled breath as he prowled to the middle of the square.

He slowly sniffed the air. It was filled with fumes and chemicals but he could just pick up the smell of fear. It was sweet to the nose and made his mouth water.

He threw his gaze across the square. Many of the humans were stood staring up at him but many were dismissing him and carrying on their way. A slow growl grumbled through him. He turned his gaze to a woman. She was slowly staring up at him. Her eyes were wide and round.

He slowly grinned at her. His sharp teeth brushing against his lower jaw and he saw slight tremors radiate fear along her body. Her hands quivered under his steady gaze. She looked young and pretty by human standards and he bet she tasted as nice as she looked.

He lunged forward with the speed of a viper's strike and clamped down onto her head. With a single bite he broke through her skull. There was a sweet crunch as her head split and crumpled in on itself, leaking a beautiful metallic taste into his mouth. Her body fell to the ground surrounded by the skull shards and goo of her brain. She hadn't even made a sound.

He threw back his head and howled. Thick blood dripped from his mouth as he called out in pure primordial instinct. Low cries and gasps surrounded him but he howled long and loud. His call filled the air and echoed against the buildings. It's eerie song cutting over the din of the city. He had forgotten how much he missed his voice. The sound of his voice was something he had not heard for so long. Letting it free made everything almost feel right again.

His eyes narrowed and with all the power in his legs he pushed himself forward into the crowd. He knocked the first person down and tore their throat out with his teeth, then twisted his head around and tore a man's arm clean off. He screamed and flailed but Fenrir arched his head and tore his stomach open. He lapped at his warm juices. The barely living person whimpered below. He hummed to himself at the taste of a fresh kill. He swallowed slowly and if he could moan he would have. It was delicious. It was sweet and metallic in a way boar had never been. It was soft and tender beneath his teeth, all for the taking.

The other humans were trying to escape as he ate.

That would not do.

He rushed forward and leaped onto a bin to give him height to leap into the crowd of panicked humans. He landed with the grace only a child of Loki could possess. They all scattered around him like the ants they were.

There was no escape for the humans. He let out a loud bark and then tore each human apart before they could get away. Blood and human remains splattered all over him and the survivors, just before Fenrir ripped them apart. 

Blood was everywhere. Warm, thick blood filled with pain and confusion. They were so slow and fragile. Their torn up bodies lay in piles all around him. This feeling... This adrenaline coursing through his veins was new. Killing had always been for food. This.. .This was new. By the Norns it was amazing.

Flashing lights appeared around him. They flashed red, blue, red, blue. The vehicles shrieked at him. He growled, ripping the throat out of a legless mewling woman, before stepping towards the irritating cars. 

The doors opened and then the humans appeared from it shouting and screeching, waving the things he had seen his father using earlier. 

There were loud bangs as something started pinging off him like tiny pine needles. He let out a low whine. They were firing something at him from those objects. They hurt but didn't pierce him hide. 

How dare they.

He leaped forward and with a swipe of his paw clawed a man's face almost clean off. The skin slopped to the floor leaving muscle and flesh open to the air. The man's head twisted with a crunch as his neck broke under the pressure of Fenrir's blow. 

The next lost his stomach and part of his small intestines before he died. He died as Fenrir shook him back and forth in his mouth knocking another man over. The man's blood splattered on his comrade before he too was ripped apart. 

They all died quick and bloodily. Some screaming and some never got chance. He shook himself and blood that matted his dark fur sprayed everywhere. Seeing blood against the stone made a grin begin to form.

He heard a strange humming noise above. Looking up Fenrir saw a red humanoid figure cutting through the air. He grinned to himself. He'd made enough of a scene to get attention then. 

The Man of Iron landed a short distance from him. The Man seemed to stare down at the bodies and then look directly at him. Fenrir let out a growl and threw himself at the Man of Iron. A beam of bluish white light shot from the man's outstretched palm and it struck him in the chest. It propelled him back and he crashed against a wall. He let out a whine as his back jarred against the hard brick. It felt like Thor had struck him with lightning. Each limp stung from the aftermath.

He snarled and dragged himself to his feet. The man was already in front of him having hovered the short distance. Fenrir dodged the next blast the man fired and took off running down the street. His legs flew swiftly beneath him as if Fenrir possessed hooves of Sleipnir. 

He needed to keep the Man of Iron busy. 

He was curious if his teeth could pierce the metal shell of the man but Father had been clear to keep his distance. Why Father was wary of this human confused him. Yes he had some sort of advanced technology but without it Fenrir could rip him limp from limp, quite literally.

Fenrir fell into a fast paced run. His legs pounding against the ground as he picked up speed. He could hear the hum behind him and he knew the man was following. The hum grew louder and Fenrir ducked to the left as a white blast barely skimmed past him. He growled a little and pressed on harder. His fur was brushed back by the wind as he bounded on. He knocked down any human who did not move out of his way but most had the common sense to move. 

The constant hum followed him but he suspected he didn't shoot for fear of striking a passerby. The Man of Iron was fast and Fenrir suspected he could fly faster than Fenrir could run.

He would give his Father as long as he could but he would have to try to shake the man off his trail if he wanted to be of use to Loki in the future.

He stopped in the middle of the street. His tongue dangled out of his mouth as he panted hard from the run. He ignored the staring humans and the hum of the man over head and instead pressed his paw firmly against a manhole cover. He closed his eyes and relaxed allowing the magic in his core to uncoil, expanding and pouring out of the pad of his paw. This natural magic he allowed to freely flow from his veins, burned and scorched its way out of him. It rushed out like a tide beginning suddenly freed, eager to escape.

Ice slowly spread out across the metal cover from his paw, oozing like magma. The metal grew colder and colder under his touch as ice rose into a spiky puddle across it. Fenrir let out a growl and pressed harder letting the ice grow to freezing temperatures. The metal creaked and then all at once shattered like glass under the temperature and tumbled in on itself.

The broken cover revealed a deep dark hole expanding down into the depths of the city. The bottom of the hole could not be seen but the clang of the metal as the remains of the cover crashed to the ground below allowed Fenrir to guess it was a good number of metres deep. Fenrir smirked to himself, no problem then. 

Fenrir took a couple of steps back for good measure before effortlessly jumping head first down the hole, seconds before a white blast struck the spot where he had been stood. He tucked his legs in as he barrelled down the hole. His stomach lurched at the sudden drop and made him want to bark or howl in excitement at the new found feeling.

He landed in the dark sewer and rolled a couple of metres to break his fall. He whined as he eventually rolled to a stop, feeling only a little bruised. His magic already mended the burst blood vessels before the pain set in.

The air was thick with the stench of sewage. It was so strong it made him curse his strong sense of smell for the first time. He slowly pulled himself up, his feet sinking into something wet and foul. He grimaced a little as it stuck to his paw. He wasted precious seconds allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The walls around him were tight and metal looking. 

A hum distracted him from his investigation. He turned to see the man hovering centimetres off the ground where the hole was. Fenrir quickly fashioned sharp ice shards in the air in front of him and began flinging at him. The man threw his arms out and started dodging them, almost flying into the wall in the process.

It gave him time to take off running through the sewage network. The man followed and so the game of cat and mouse began. He just hoped he d given his father enough time.

\---

Loki stood behind a building just hidden from sight. The rough wall felt oddly cool against his back. The brick that he was leant against had probably once red but was now a patchy grey colour which was a shadow of its true self. He didn't care that the wall he was leaning on was dirty and would probably rub off on him, after all the whole of Midgard was no better, it was all just a stain on the branch of Yggdrasil. 

His hood was pulled up over his head and dark glasses, that he had stolen, were firmly covering his eyes making everything around him seem darker than it really was. Loki glanced down at his watch, another object he had stolen, and then looked back at the Tower. 

He sighed to himself. One of the things he hated more than anything was waiting. It was tiresome and made him feel like his stomach was slowly coiling tighter and tighter as each minute seemed to stretch out. It was just so boring.

He stood completely still scanning the skyline for any sign of Tony Stark but there were just pigeons. What was the point of pigeons? They were big fat birds that ate scraps off the floor. They didn't even taste nice. They just seemed to swarm every street corner like pests. They scuttled around and jumped if anyone came anywhere near them. They were pathetic creatures.

There was a sudden roar that made Loki's thoughts click back. Looking up he caught sight of a flash of red shooting across the sky. He let out a sigh, finally. He hoped his son would be able to handle Iron Man. If he could pray he probably would have stopped then and there and prayed for Fenrir. There was something about his own flesh and blood that made him so fiercely protective. Loki wasn't exactly sure what.

He slunk out of the shadows and walked towards the entrance of the building. The pigeons that had been hopping around the area squawked and flapped away in a flurry of feathers. He rolled his eyes as the nervous birds flew a couple of meters away from him. Such cowardliness.

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and entered the tower quickly. The automatic doors silently slid shut behind him as the cool air of the reception area rushed to meet him. A small amount of humans milled around the main desk's general area. His green eyes darted around taking note of important features. An elevator was situated to his left, 3 cameras were dotted around the room but there seemed to be no blind spots. 

He brushed past a couple of people who seemed to be standing around impatiently. They didn't pay him any attention and instead seemed to either be scowling or glancing down at their mobiles.

Loki kept his head low, even though he had his hood up and glassed on, and moved to the front desk. The woman at the reception desk was busy with another person. It was a man in a suit, which really didn't seem to go well with his figure. It was too loose in the wrong places. The man looked in his 50's and was balding in an unattractive fashion. He looked like he had a very large egg balanced on his neck. The man was conversing stiffly with the receptionist with a tight strained expression. He was too caught up to notice Loki. 

Loki scanned the desk as the woman continued to ignore him in favour of the man. He could see the computer port near the main computer. It seemed to be very high quality technology, which was to be expected. It didn't look much like Eric's.

A mug that was full to the top with steaming coffee sat centimetres from the key pad. Steam twisted and turned out of the cup into the cool air creating pale swirls that rose up.

He grinned a little to himself.

He cleared his throat and reached out over the desk, "Excuse me can I borrow that pe-"

His hand shot out for a pen. His elbow jutted out at the last second and knocked the cup right over. It crashed over and the burning coffee splashed across the desk and all over the keyboard.

"Oh god." Loki gasped. The woman stopped middle sentence to stare at the mess, "I'm so sorry!" 

He shot around the back of the desk, "Let me help, ma'am." He pulled out a cloth and started mopping up the mess.

"There's really no need-" the woman started. 

"No no, it's my fault." He insisted, nudging her out the way to clean it up, "I'm so clumsy." He confessed, sounding upset.

The woman giggled nervously.

As he wiped the mess he drew the memory stick out of his pocket with his other hand. His body now blocking the view of the dock he was able to slide it into the computer. It clicked into the slot easily as he continued to wipe up the pool of liquid.

The USB popped up on the screen just as he wiped the last of the coffee. He ran his cloth heavily over the Enter button on the keyboard as he wiped the key board clean, which opened the USB and set it in motion.

He gave the woman a flushed look as he drew back to the other side of the counter and grabbed the pen. 

"I'm so sorry about that." Loki repeated.

"No harm done." The woman replied with an over the top smile.

He nodded drawing away to allow the now irritated man to continue talking to the woman. The man's voice was now a lot louder and more demanding. 

He walked off with his hands in his pocket, smirking to himself. He hadn't thought it would have been that easy to plant the memory stick but obliviously Stark's security was seriously lacking. 

As he walked his grey hood slipped down to rest snugly behind his neck. He didn't bother to pull it up again since he still had his sunglasses to hid his face and so his identity.

He was already long forgotten by the receptionist and older man. None of the humans noticed as he strode up to the lift. This would never happen in any of the other Realms. These humans paid so little attention and had so little security.

He pressed the up arrow button and stood waiting as the red numbers started dropping one by one until there was a ping and the doors slid open.

He slipped inside the elevator and the doors slid closed almost immediately afterwards. Loki frowned a little and carefully examined the floor choices. The keys spread down to nine with each letter engraved black with a sliver casing. That wasn't right. There were more floors than that. He knew that for a fact.

Loki slipped a small knife out of his pocket and pried the blade under the control pad. He wiggled it slowly under its surface and then began to pry it off. It came off with surprising ease. Loki dropped the panel onto the floor with a clang and examined the wires. They were assortment of colours but the ones he needed were there. He reached out and slowly touched one of the exposed wires. He felt a buzz vibrate through his arm and found the odd sensation ached and burned. He pulled his hand away with a frown. Lightening resided in these cables. With a huff he started twisting some wires to together, looping some under each other, into the correct position. It took a little while to get the correct wires to bend and touch but eventually he did. When he pressed them together the lift shuddered and then began to rise.

He grinned. The computer work today had paid off, he was able to bypass the controls and gain access to floors he shouldn't have been able to.

Minutes later the doors opened to a living room as the lift juddered to a stop. He recognised it as the one he had met Stark on, the day of the attack. To his left was the window he had thrown the man through and on the other side of the room was the bar. He remembered how Stark had stopped to make a drink in the middle of battle. He had acted casual but Loki had seen the nervousness in his eyes and how he had reached out for something. He'd discovered minutes later it had been his bracelet.

As he stepped out of the elevator he scanned the room more closely. He noticed a figure on the couch. Papers, books and writing material lay spread out all around the sprawled man. Glasses hung from his nose as the man seemed to doze peacefully.

Banner.

The man that was fast asleep before him was the monster. The Hulk. The monster who had smashed his spine to pieces and broke the floor with Loki's own body. He had lay in a hole, in agony, with shards of his own spine cutting into his flesh and organs. He could feel his fingers itching for his blade. He wanted to slide the blade straight through the man's heart as he slept.

He sighed, it would be too easy. It would be was something Thor would do. His lips curled at the thought. Yes, Thor was always barrelling in with his hammer not taking a second to think or even make a plan. But Loki had a plan. Killing Banner would only infuriate the Avengers and put them on alert. He wanted to get in here and out again without anyone knowing he was ever here. No witch hunt. Not even any footage for Stark thanks to his memory stick.

He strode past the man. His feet made as much noise as a cat as he slipped past into another room. He had little time to waste on the Hulk. Last thing he needed was to fight him.

The room he now found himself in was a large study. It was spacious with a large window at one side and a couple of cabinets. To the side was a desk with papers spread across it in a disorganised, scruffy fashion and amongst it a laptop was perched by the edge.

Loki slid into the swivel chair. He flipped the screen up and turned the computer on. 

When it was booted up he found the computer was password protected which is what he had expected. What he hadn't expect was that in less than 3 minutes he had hacked Starks password and was into his desktop. His choice of background on his desktop was questionable and his files seemed to have no order. All his files were all over the place and none of them seemed to have the correct name. 

He found one labelled Shield. He flicked through and found it was just maps of the layout and codes and passwords. He pulled his other memory stick out and saved it onto it. He may need to get into SHEILD sometime. A backup file would be useful if his memory failed, though unlikely. 

There was one file he opened which he regretted instantly. It was obviously a very private file that best left alone for... well forever. He felt like washing his eyes out with soap. Why on earth would you keep that on your computer?

He was almost relieved when he found files of some of SHEILDs top secret missions. They were pretty dark even by his standards. Other files were about particular agents or peiple. Some were just human agents but others were about people known as Doom and Dr Strange, which were weird names to say the least. He scrolled through them not really finding anything that he was looking for.

Loki eventually found his own file. His fingers inched to edit the document as he spotted the title. His name was not Odinson. Stupid mortals.

He flicked through scanning for any information on the sceptre and its whereabouts. He could feel himself tensing up as he searched through all the scans and reading they seemed to possess of him. It looked like they were trying to determine his physiology and the origin of his magic. There were even theories behind his plots. It all really showed they knew nothing about him. 

Then he saw it, briefs of missions to track down the sceptre. It seemed the Avengers were searching for it as well. They didn't have it, HYDRA did. They had overturned over 20 HYDRA bases with no such luck at finding it. Four more locations were on file where the Staff may be.

It was a start. He clicked enter and the file started transferring. He had already memorised the locations but there was still so much to read. This might even be easier than breaking into SHEILD to get it. All thanks to Stark he would be able to get his sceptre back very soon.

The door creaked open sending his head jerking up.

"St-" 

He abruptly rose from the chair nearly knocking it over. Loki quickly took in the sudden intruder. The woman was frozen in the doorway. Her eyes slowly narrowed, taking him all in, her fiery hair fell in perfect waves over her sharp cheek bones. She was calmly holding a gun straight at him in a matter of seconds. He would have almost been impressed on how the gun had seemed to have appeared out of thin air if he did not know who this woman was.

He slowly held his hands out showing they were empty.

"You're not Stark." Romanoff stated coolly, 

"No I'm not." He replied with a slight quirk of his lips.

"Who are you?" She demanded, "What are you doing here?

Her sharp gaze pierced into him. It seemed to be picking him apart piece by piece, looking for any weakness. It was was cold and blank, almost predatory. He assumed if he had been anyone else his legs would have turned to mush and he would have been on his knees begging for mercy. He wasn't anyone else. He was Loki Laufeyson and this was simply a mortal woman. She was well trained but still mortal and so no match for him, even with her persona.

He pushed his sunglasses up, glad that they hid his face, and glanced down at the monitor. 95% of the information had been transferred.

"Agent Hunt," Loki informed Romanoff. 

"Let's see a badge." She said with a slight flick of her gun. 

He glanced down. 100%, it was complete. He slowly slipped the USB out of the laptop.

"I really must be going, I'm on a tight schedule." He replied with a bored voice.

He took a step to the door, hoping she wouldn't be difficult and would just let him past.

As he moved forward there was a sudden loud rippling sound that slicing through the air and echoed painfully in his ears. A bullet shot past him just barely missing his shoulder and instead sliced through his hoodie, leaving a tear. He hissed with his teeth slightly bared.

"Another step and the next shot will go between your eyes." She told him coldly.

Loki's eyes narrowed.

"I thought you were brighter than the others." He snarled, clenching one of his fists.

He hadn't planned to fight her. He had thought she was one of the better Avengers but obviously he had been wrong. She was as brash and as uncivil as the rest.

He had wanted to get into the tower and get out again with no fights or disruptions. So much for the plan. Then again when had any plan gone right? Someone, normally Thor, messed them up. That was why he had back up plans. Though it would be nice if for just once the first plan actually worked.

There was still a chance.

He flicked his wrist sending a throwing star cutting through air straight for her face. Romanoff ducked to avoid it and it instead struck the wall behind her and dug in deep. This distraction gave Loki time to pull his gun out and shoot. The gun rocked back in his hand as the bullet flew from the gun with a deafening crack. Romanoff dodged to the side at the last second as the bullet shot through the air and only grazed her shoulder. It embedded itself in the wall behind her.

She was like a python; she coiled and then sprung at him. She knocked the gun from his hand with a powerful flying kick. It span off across the floor and under the desk. 

He tensed and blocked her oncoming fist with his palm. The blow struck his hand with surprising strength causing it to jar slightly but he held it fast. In a fluid motion he twisted his hips and struck her in the side with his leg. It connected with her stomach sending her back a little. She grunted in pain and grabbed his ankle. Holding it tightly she yanked. He couldn't control his body from being dragged from under him. As he slid under Black Widow he managed to wrap his hands around the back of her neck and yank it down. This caused her to drop under his weight, but acted as leverage for him to flip himself back onto his feet. He landed perfectly like a cat while Romanoff regained her balance.

Now on the right side of the doorway he took off running. His feet flew across the floor as he dashed down a corridor. He could hear Romanoff closely following. Her feet lightly striking the floor as she sprinted after him.

He made it down a second corridor and was turning around a sharp corner just as she grabbed his hood and threw him against a wall. He hit the wall hard. The blow almost made him cry out. A sharp punch struck him across the face causing the back of his head to strike the wall behind him painfully. He grunt as his head stung from Romanoff's strike. The jerk of his head from the blow caused his glasses to fall from his face to the ground.

His breath caught in his throat. He looked up as Romanoff's eyes widen a fraction in recognition before a knife was pressed to his throat.

"Loki." She hissed.

He grinned at her, his hair falling wildly around his face, "The one and only."

She pressed the knife deeper into his neck. The cool blade dug into his neck a lit too deep, causing a stinging sensation as blood beaded along the thin impression.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?" She whispered with a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Because of this."

His left hand shot out piercing her side with his throwing star. She gasped as the sharp point slid into her abdomen. It gave him precious milliseconds to duck just before her blade embedded itself into the wall where his head had just been. 

He darted out of her range and away from her as she launched forward at him, spinning through the air. He nearly dodged her attack but her blade caught him and sliced through his arm like it was butter.

He swore in pain and burst through some emergency doors where the staircases were. He shot down the stairs, throwing himself over the metal banister to the flight below. His heart was hammering as he flew down the stairs with a second set of feet closely following him. He could feel his blood dripping from his arm as he pressed on. It felt like she had cut him deep but there wasn't time to check. He just hoped it would clot by itself.

He jumped down another set, rolling to break the fall before immediately bounding down another.

Romanoff suddenly slid down a suspended rope to land in front of him. 

By the Norns this woman didn't give up.

He kicked out at her. She blocked his blow and threw out a spinning kick. He leaped over it and threw himself at her using his weight to send her crashing down a flight of stairs.

They rolled for a couple of metres before landing sprawled. Loki just managed scramble to his feet when she launch herself at him from behind. She pulled him into loose headlock. Before she could fully encircle his neck he bit down hard on her forearm, enough to draw blood. She yowled, jerking a little, allowing him to kick back and knock her off.

He spun around and threw a punch at her. She dodged and threw kicks and punches through the air at him. Each attack struck the air where he once had been. He moved nimbly through the air. He dodged and ducked her strikes before sending back a series of well practiced sharp swinging kicks and thrown punches. One hit its mark sending her stumbling back. She hissed and ducked another of his punches before sending back a vicious rally of her own punches and kicks. 

He met them all her challenges. They span and danced neither managing to get more than a small hit on the other. They blocked, dodged and attacked in an almost choreographed flood of assaults.

His blade, he had managed to pull out, clanged against her own with every attack. Sometimes he would raise his arm to block a knife swipe allowing the blade to crack against the metal bracelet that acted as a guard.

She twisted through the air. He turned ready to met her. At the last second her course changed and she struck him from the other side. Her leg slashed into the forearm where the fresh cut was. He grunted at the blunt pain causing him to pause. He didn't have time to react as she kicked him hard in the stomach. He stumbled back trying to right himself but there was no floor anymore. He tumbled back head first down the flight of stairs. Each hard step crashed against him as he fell too fast and unexpectedly to correct himself. Each blow cut into him and jolted his limbs as he plummeted down and down.

On the last step his head cracked against it. Pain shot through him as he crumbled at the bottom. His vision dulled into a fuzzy black and he fell into darkness.

Damn this mortal form.

\---

Tony landed on his tower, nearly stumbling a little. His suit was scratched with dents in it, which almost reflected how he felt. 

God he was pissed. 

He had got down to the square thinking he could take Loki's wolf out with his blasters. It was supposed to be a simple shoot and capture (or kill if he really had to) but no, shooting the wolf had just made it more angry. 

He had realised he was already much too late for some people when he had seen the scene before him. Bodies were pile in a rough disorganised mess all around the huge towering form of the wolf. 

It was like a sea of bodies. The arms and legs of the corpses were bent and stretched, drowning in their thick lifeblood, as if they were the silent still waves of an ocean best not seen. 

That wasn't the worst part. 

The people... hell... they didn't even look like people anymore. They were just limps, torsos and heads. Their stomachs were all ripped out, allowing their organs to spill out. If he had looked closely he would have seen the chewed remainders of intestines and hearts, though they were hard to make out. Their heads, if they were lucky to still have them on, were either smashed like an egg on the ground or chewed beyond recognition. 

The worst one was there faces. Their eyes were still open and stared glassy eyed into space. They were so still. If he had got there sooner there might have still been light in their eyes. They may still have their left arm, even their lungs, but no their arm lay somewhere in the great mass of carcasses and their lungs were nothing but digested flesh and blood on the lips of the wolf.

It was almost impossible to distinguish person from person. It was simply a massacre of people, he hadn't wanted to count. 

The wolf had merely stood licking the twisted deceased body of what may have been a police officer, from the uniform Tony could see. The wolf had been as big as he had remembered. It was more like a truck than the animal it was supposed to be. Its black fur looked to be matted in blood and he could see its spray against the wall as it shook its body.

He had blasted it but it hadn't seemed to damage it. In fact it was the wall that took the most damage. Instead the wolf had taken off running, seeming to be spooked. Tony had ended up following it a short distance through the city as it leaped and galloped through the busy streets. It didn't attack anyone but instead knocked anyone down who was blind enough not to see a wolf bounding past in the middle of the street.

The animal had then proceeded to escape down the underground network of the city.

It threw fucking icicles at him down there! 

This had demonstrated without a doubt that this was not just an overgrown wolf. This was some sort of mutant. Some sort of... he didn't even know. At one point Tony had managed to loop around and trap it in a dead end of part of the sewer. He had thought he could just shoot it until it collapsed but before he had been able to power up the blasters it had simply plucked him from the air and shook him like a toy. Its teeth had nearly pierced his suit as he had been violently thrown from side to side in the beast's mouth.

He lost the wolf in the tunnels. The sneaky motherfucker. 

It had hadn't killed him when it had a chance no it simply disappeared into the sewage system, moving too fast for him to catch it.

What made it worse was Loki wasn't even there. It was a bit disconcerting not knowing where he was or what he was plotting. Why hadn't he been with the wolf? It couldn't have been a different wolf or at least he hoped it hadn't been.

He stepped onto his floor, pulling back his helmet, and allowing his suit to fold away. He turned to the door to see Natasha dragging a body across his living room. Tony raised an eyebrow in her direction as Natasha stopped to look at him. Her expression was grim and serious but then again when had he ever seen her smile? It must be a SHEILD thing. They never did know how to take a joke.

He looked down at the body, expecting to see maybe a HYDRA agent or some other goon. Instead he saw the thing lean body of a man with no sort of uniform and seeming to just be off the street. He seemed vaguely familiar but he wasn't sure where he had seen him before or if he even had seen him at all. Long raven hair covering the face of a man, much longer than he was used to seeing on a male. Maybe he was a hippie   
or gasp horror.. a hipster. Yes maybe Natasha had knocked out a hipster. 

As Natasha began to continue dragging the limp body again the hair fell away to reveal the man's face.

Shit.

He blinked. 

This just got better and better.

"Any particular reason you're dragging a dead God across my living room?" He asked, "I've only just got this carpet fitted." He sighed dramatically.

Natasha stopped by the bar, "Have still got those handcuffs?" She asked ignoring his question, "The ones we used last time we had him."

"Yeah, just a second," he said and started scrambling through a draw.

The draw was a mess. Hell, he wasn't even sure this was the right draw.

He sighed straightening up.

"Jarvis?" He called.

No reply. He frowned, "Jarvis?"

"It's no use he's not answering."

Tony stared at her, "Did Loki kill Jarvis?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes. It would have made anyone else look like they were squinting at the sun but when she did it, it was like looking into the eyes of a snake and this snake was coiled and venomous, "Handcuffs, Stark. Worry about Jarvis in a minute."

"Right." He breathed, shifting away, and returning to the draw. His fingers scoured the draw, shuffling through the random objects that seemed to have found their way into it. He didn't even remember owning half of this stuff.

His mind wasn't on it and it instead kept shifting back to his AI. What had happened to Jarvis? Maybe he had been deactivated but how Loki had managed that was beyond him. Perhaps it hadn't been Loki but then that meant a malfunction and well that couldn't be possible. If Loki had deactivated him he wanted to know how. No one should know how that technology worked.

Bruce came rushing in just as he pulled the cuffs from the draw. They were heavier than he remembered and jingled a little as the metal clanged together.

"Natasha," Bruce said with a sigh of relief, "I saw you running after Loki.." he trailed off as he took in the crumbled form of the God on the living room floor. "I.. um.. thought something had happened."

Natasha stood up to look at him, her lips pulsed slightly, "I dealt with him," She replied dryly, waving a hand at the limp body of Loki.

She winced slightly and wavered. Her body seemed to sway slowly from side to side in an odd fashion.

Tony moved forward a sickening feeling beginning to build. He wildly looked her up and down and it was then when he noticed the blood seeping from her stomach.

"Shit." Tony swore.

Bruce moved forward and caught her as her legs began to wobble. He led her to the sofa, murmuring something Tony couldn't quite catch, and she allowed Banner to lay her down.

"It's just a stab wound." She said simply as if she was talking about a splinter in her thumb. Turning to look at Tony she ordered, "Get those cuffs on Loki before he wakes up."

"You didn't kill him then?" Tony remarked, trying not to sound too disappointed.

He received a simple eye role in response as Bruce was pulling up her clothing to better inspect the wound. From what he could see from this distance it didn't look to be too life threatening.

He slowly moved towards the God, eyeing his still body cautiously. He kept expecting Loki to jump up abruptly and either slit his throat or demand he bow before his mightiness. 

As Tony stood over him tensely, Loki remained utterly still, it was almost like he was dead. There was no bright green eyes piercing into him, no sudden flash of a blade before his inevitable death, instead Loki showed no indication of moving and could have been dead for all Tony knew. 

The Gods eyes were closed and a massive gash ran along his forehead, where blood trickled from onto his carpet. He looked so broken laid on the ground bleeding. He carefully pulled Loki's hands around the back of the metal pole support, which rose to the ceiling, and handcuffed his hands to it. The cuff shut with a firm but satisfying click, which Tony knew would hold him.

The wolf must have been a distraction. After all the best time to invade was when there was no one home. God he was stupid. He shouldn't have gone after the wolf when there had been no indication that Loki was there. He should have known it was a trick. 

This all just left more questions. What was Loki's goal? Of all the places to break in why had he broke into his tower? He didn't even know what he had wanted. 

He had been lucky Natasha had been around and had stopped him before he had done any serious damage. That is he hoped.

He drew back still looking at the God. It was an odd sight seeing him without his Asgardian armour but instead in mundane clothes that still seemed to suit him. His black jeans and grey hoodie made him look younger. He still had his large Asgardian boots that still somehow it worked with the look. Who knew jeans and alien boots would work so well together.

He moved away to his computer outlet. It was time to work out what had happened to Jarvis, before Loki woke up and the world went completely and utterly to plot.

\---

Loki slowly pried his eyes open. The world seemed to spin around and around in a pulsating mess. Blood seemed to pound past his ears by its own accord like charging cattle. Everything around him seemed to move without him and fade in and out at random intervals. If it wasn't for centuries of practice he would have surely thrown up. Luckily he was saved that embarrassment.

After a couple of seconds, though it could have been minutes or even hours, everything settled into a buzz of confusing twisting colours. Loki's head throbbed as he tried to clear the fogginess of his sight and the blur of his thoughts. He blinked and shook his head to try and rid himself of it.

When he opened his eyes again and focused, he found himself propped against something in an unfamiliar room. The object he was leant against seemed cool against his back maybe indicating it was some sort of metal, he couldn't be certain.

"I think he's awake," came a voice. 

His eyes darted to the source of the sound and fell upon Romanoff. She was propped up on a sofa while someone, looked like Banner, stitched up the last of her abdominal wound. Loki must have stabbed her deep because blood was still slowly dripping down her stomach. Her hair still seemed to fall perfectly, like some sort of magic, even after their fight. Her gaze was still as sharp as ever. It was blank, hiding any and all emotions.

He tried to pull himself up but his arms refused to follow. He twisted his head wildly to see his hands were cuffed to a pole. Loki hissed and snarled pulling at the cuffs. He yanked harder not liking the way his stomach was twisting at the trapped feeling that was starting to build. They clattered against the pole but they didn't break no matter how much he yanked. 

They were the same cuffs they had put him in when he had lost the battle he realised bitterly. They had runes to block magic craved all over them. He felt like laughing. Had Thor not told them he was mortal? He was surprised they had not laughed and drinker together about his punishment. They must have been disappointed he hadn't been put to death. It didn't matter soon enough he would be killed or locked up and left to rot in a cell. He only has one back up plan and if he left the tower he was screwed.

He tugged angrily at his bindings. He hated them. They were tight around his wrists and it all too familiar for his own liking. He pulled again and found his arm ached dully. Looking down he could see red starting to seep through the hoodie's material. He hoped Romanoff hadn't cut too deeply. Bleeding out was never fun. He couldn't exactly tell them that he didn't have his normal healing abilities.

He stilled and examined his surroundings. It looked to be Starks living room; sofas and a sleek bar were laid out, with blood streaking across the pale carpet. It was his blood to be specific. It started at the doorway and left a red path right to where he was sat. Everything looked expensive and large. He could fit his whole flat in this single room, Well, the flat he used to live in. He recognised the window he had thrown Tony Stark through. He hadn't wanted to but it had been enjoyable to watch.

The Inventor himself stood not too far off still in his ridiculous suit. The helmet was up and he could see his face. He had a weary expression with dark shadows under his eyes. Though Loki suspected he was trying to act like he wasn't alert. It takes a liar to know one.

"Nice of you to join us." Stark said and with a slight quirk of his lips asked, "How does it feel to be beaten by a girl?"

Loki clenched his jaw. If he had his magic he would have set him on fire. He would have watched Stark scream and beg as his skin slowly peeled and melted away. He may not be the God of fire, despite what some believe, but he still loved it. Its rage and its chaos was incomparable. This childish mortal thought he could mock him- Loki, God of Mischief- he would destroy them all. He would tear down their city and watch them drown in their own blood.

He heard Romanoff mutter something under breath, too quiet to catch. She seemed displeased with the comment and he didn't blame her. Women of Asgard could be fierce fighters and from what he had experienced today Midgardian ones could be just as deadly.

"Woman are not to be underestimated, mortal." Loki said coolly bearing his teeth at him into an almost growl, "Be glad Lady Sif did not hear such a comment."

Starks eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "Whatever you say, Rudolf."

"Rudolf?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. His eyes burned into the man. He was going to kill him first he decided. He would rip that glowing blue metal out of his chest and watch him bleed out.

"You know the antlers," Stark said waving his hands above his head to indicate his helmet.

"They are horns, you imbecile." Loki snarled, pulling himself into a standing position, not liking being sat down in a room of enemies. It felt like a vulnerable position and set his teeth on edge.

Romanoff suddenly pulled herself off the sofa at his sudden movement. Bruce seemed to protest but she ignored him. A knife was pressed to his throat.

She stood glaring at him. He simply locked eyes with her with a now calm, blank expression. 

"What were you doing snooping in classified files?" She demanded.

"Checking for spelling mistakes." He replied blankly.

Her face turned grim, "Why were you looking at SHEILD files and your own?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and held back a snarl as he felt blade dig in deeper.

"Like I'm going to tell you that." Loki murmured.

He'd underestimated that woman once, never again. This wasn't even a woman in front of him. It was a cold blooded monster hidden in the body of a lean harmless looking human.

She gave him a dangerous look, the blade digging in deeper. It stung a little but he neither flinted nor allowed his gaze to waver. 

Stark stepped between Black Widow and him.

"Hey, don't kill him yet, SHEILD aren't going to be happy if we hand them a dead God. It's lot of paperwork."

Her face didn't even twitch at the comment, she just slid her knife away, and stalked back over to her seat. 

They'd called for SHEILD? 

He wouldn't let them take him again. They would poke and prod him like an animal. At least in Asgard he would have been left in a solitude of sorts.

"You hacked into my network system." Stark said in an accusatory tone.

Loki noted he sounded offended.

"Obviously." He sighed, fiddling with the cuffs, wishing he could slid them off his wrists and be done with this pointless talk.

"Since when could you hack?" Stark asked waving his arms in the air, "Hell when could you use a computer?"

Loki yanked harder not liking the way his stomach was twisting and his mouth drying. 

Loki titled his head to the side, "Since a couple of hours ago." He smirked at Stark darkly, "Seriously your system was too easy to hack. Your 'Jarvis' took little effort to put offline. All I needed was one USB. Pathetic really."

Stark stares at him, seeming to struggle to find words under Loki's gaze, "Well Jarvis is fixed now." He grumbled.

Loki rolled his eyes, "He wasn't broken."

He'd only shut him down for a short time to get past without being stopped. Destroying the electronic being would take more effort; effort he didn't care for.

He pulled violently at the cuffs. He wanted these infuriating things off. Now.

"Hey stop that." Stark said, stepping forward.

"Do not tell me what to do, mortal." Loki glowered.

"Soon SHEILD will be telling you exactly what to do." Romanoff said icily.

Loki glared at her silently.

No one would ever tell him what to do. They wouldn't take him; he'd make sure of that.

"When are SHEILD coming anyway?" Stark asked, running a hand through his hair.

"In the morning." She said and then turned her ruthless gaze on Loki, "You'll never see the light of day again."

"I never was a fan of light." Loki replied, keeping his face expressionless.

They weren't coming until morning. That gave him time.

She glanced at Stark, "Any news from Thor?"

Stark shook his head.

They thought Thor would come? Thor didn't care about him. He would leave him to rot on Midgard. Loki was nothing to him. If Thor did come it would be to drag him back to Asgard.

Loki smirked, "You called Thor?"

"Yes." Stark said, "You've been causing trouble."

"Trouble?" He said innocently, "I've only been making myself at home." he insisted, with a grin slowly forming.

"You mean murdering masses of People?" Bruce asked quietly.

It speaks. The beast could actually form words. That was a surprise.

"I don't know what you mean." He replied sweetly.

"Don't lie." Bruce said, turning to face him properly.

He 'is' God of lies, he wanted to resort. What did they except? A God of lies and Mischief doesn't tell the truth. Shouldn't be trusted. Shouldn't be allowed any sort of family. He was just a cuckoo. 

"You're the New York Slasher." Banner accused.

"I never did like that name..." He sighed. 

The name did have a ring to it. Sadly it made it sound like he had only killed people in New York.

"He's the New York Slasher?" Romanoff said not showing a hint of surprise, not that that meant anything, "That guy has killed over a 100 people."

Loki chuckled, "And they all died screaming and quivering, begging for their lives. Pathetic. It was very fun mind you."

Bruce tightened his jaw, digging his nails into the side of the coach, whilst Natasha stared at him blank of expression. Banner looked like he was going sizzle over and turn green.

Now that would be fun to watch.

"What's with the wolf?" Stark asked suddenly, his eyes almost round with child-like curiosity.

"The wolf?" Loki asked with a bored expression. 

Had they caught him? Or worse had they shot him and killed him? He'd only just found Fenrir again.

"The wolf who just killed over 30 people. He seems to be hanging with you." Stark replied.

"Only 30?" He questioned with a disapproving tone.

All eyes turned to him. They were all sharp and angry. Some he could see it in more but there was all distaste. He didn't care. He really didn't care what they thought. They pretended they were all so righteous but they were all corrupt in their own way.

"Where did you get Mr. Big Bad Wolf?" Stark asked.

"The pet shop." Loki replied.

"What?" Stark spluttered with wide eyes. 

It quickly turned into a frown and a small pout when Loki assumed Stark had realised he hadn't been serious.

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Do you really not know who he is?"

"That's why I asked." Stark snapped.

"Pick up a book, you ape." Loki sneered. 

By the Norns, Fenrir was in most of the myths.

"Books are overrated." Stark muttered.

Loki didn't reply, deciding to ignore him and his irritating babble.

He eyed them as they murmured between themselves. He stood silently as they continued muttering and glanced at him every so often. They were talking about him then. 

Finally Black Widow came up to him and pressed a gun to his neck. The butt of the gun was cool against his neck and dug in harder than was necessary, to get a point across. He was in their territory; he had to play by their rules. 

Not a chance.

He looked back at Romanoff with a bored expression. Stark came around behind him. He would have had to twist his head to see what Stark was doing. He could feel his body tensing, getting ready if he was struck or attacked from behind. He may be cuffed but he wasn't defenceless. 

"If you make one wrong move Natasha will put a bullet through your brain, got it Reindeer games?" Stark told him.

Loki smirked at Black Widow but didn't reply.

He heard a click as he felt the handcuffs loosen and fall away. Romanoff's gun pressed harder into his throat as the cuffs were brought around the pole and reattached, before he had even time to enjoy the tiny freedom. He stayed completely still throughout the whole process, liking his head to remain attached.

When the cuffs clicked open for those short couple of seconds his magic did not return as the humans must have assumed. He had no advantage in those couple of seconds like they thought. The gun pressed to his now vulnerable throat trumped everything. In this form the bullet would kill him. They had no worry of him regaining his magic. It was gone. He could still feel the painful empty ache of where it had once been. His body was so much colder without it. There was no buzz anymore, just silence.

He sensed the mortals sigh a relief when the cuffs clicked safely back into place. His wrists were once again sealed behind him. He stayed silent as Romanoff gripped his shoulder and stared dragging him down the hall. He didn't resist, just let her lead him unceremoniously to the location, even though he wanted to stab her there and then.

Their feet echoed against the hard wood floor of the hall as they reached the end. Romanoff opened a door at the corridor's end and with a shove pushed him in. He stumbled, nearly not making it, before the door slammed shut and a mechanical click indicated it locking.

The room was tiny. It wasn't even a room; it was more of a small walk in closet. It was a tiny square prison with no windows. Four white walls rose around him and enclosed him in a furniture-less room. 

Loki sank down on to the soft carpet. He calmly pulled his legs into a cross-legged position and stared at the door. His arms were still bound tightly behind his back, restricting his movement.

He pressed his lips into a soft smile that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He fixed his eyes on a single crack in the paintwork and he waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Finally edited this thing.. took ages
> 
> And holy shit this chapter is over 10 000 words long, a lot longer than expected.   
> A nice treat for any of you who needed it :D


	8. Scars from a Stabbed Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A chapter longer than the last? whoop this ones over 16, 000 words.. finally edited! (I wrote this ages ago, it was editing that caused the delay)
> 
> *Warning*: ehh.. may be triggering or disturbing for some people...? Just be careful dears

Tony silently watched as Natasha started to drag Loki out of the living room. Loki's hands were cuffed firmly behind his back and his feet shuffled against the floor, as if he was trying to make it harder for Natasha not out of resistance but just to be a dick. Loki looked like he couldn't care less where he was being taken or the fact he had been caught. His head was high with his long hair splayed around his face and a glint in his eyes like fire had caught it. This was so similar to the first time they had detained him, back when Loki's name was just a story and the idea of an Alien army was just a bad movie.

Tony let out a sigh of relief as the God disappeared around the corner. He couldn't deny his presence was unnerving to say the least. The air seemed to turn to ice at Loki's very presence. His gaze made him glad looks couldn't kill because if they could those green eyes would have torn him apart limb by limb.

Tony allowed his armour to fall away before he slunk around the back of the bar to pour himself a drink. There was, after all, nothing a little alcohol couldn't fix.

"Tony," Bruce said with a frown, "you shouldn't be drinking right now."

Tony ignored him. He twisted the cap back on and lifted up his half full glass. Tipping his head back he took a long swing and savoured the burning sensation of the liquor sliding smoothly down his throat.

"Why not?" He replied with a quirk of his eyebrows, "We've got a crazy God in the spare room, seems like the perfect time for a drink."

Bruce sighed but didn't bother commenting any further, like he knew he would lose anyway. Bruce sunk down onto the sofa and buried his face into his hands for a couple of seconds.

"Loki shouldn't even be here." He mumbled.

"Yeah," Tony agreed, taking a deeper gulp of his drink, "He should be in Asgard with all his Alien chums."

Bruce rolled his eyes and muttered something about Aliens that Tony didn't quite catch.  
Bruce leant back and yawned. Tony noticed the dark circles under his friend's bleary eyes. His hair was a bit ruffled and his shoulders sagged down lower than usual. He looked like he hadn't slept properly in a couple of days.

"You sound tired." Tony noted, "You should get some sleep before SHIELD gets here."

"No, I couldn't possibly-"

"No seriously." Tony said interrupting Bruce's flustered response, "Me and Natasha have got it from here. Get some beauty sleep." he insisted. "We can handle him."

He managed to shoo Bruce out of the room into the direction of a bed.

Tony sat down on one of the bar stools as he heard a door down the hall close quietly. Finally some peace and quiet.

Tony sighed, rubbing his palms against his eye sockets. It was a nice sensation though it made his eyes ache when he pulled his palms away. Nursing the glass between his hands he found it was cool to the touch with the promise of a warm buzz that would take him away from reality for a while. God knows he needed it.

He should have known his world wouldn't stay peaceful forever. He'd hoped that Loki would stay in Asgard, locked up in whatever prison they had, hopefully a grim and dark one specially for the asshole.

As usual he had no such luck. It seemed Loki was not in Asgard, might never had been. He hadn't been locked up in a dungeon instead Loki had been roaming around Earth for months. He had killed 100s of people. He was a bloody serial killer... Quite literally.

Tony frowned and took a large gulp, enjoying the slight buzz it brought.

The bastard had hacked into HIS system and shut now HIS AI. No one had ever been able to do that and apparently Loki had learnt how to do it in a single day. No one should be able to do that.

To find out Loki had done it with a simple USB, a cup of coffee and a knife to pull apart his elevator really put salt in the wound. Loki had cracked his password in the space of minutes, which should have been impressive but instead was just irritating.

He'd now have a angry Nick Fury on his back for the next couple of months, since Natasha had to explain to him that the files that Loki had been looking through were classified SHEILD files that Tony was not supposed to have.

Seriously?

All the files Loki could have chosen and it HAD to be a breakdown of SHEILD base layouts, maps, agents and Loki's own. Arrogant much? Why he had looked at a file of himself, puzzled Tony to no end, also what Loki had been hoping to achieve from it all. None of the files contained anything Tony would have thought Loki would be interested in. It was all break down of maps and information that was of no real use. Thanks to Loki he would now have to re-hack SHEILD and take back the files he hadn't finished reading yet.

What bugged him was how Loki had gone about bringing his system down. It just shouldn't have been possible. The virus..

"Jarvis." He murmured.

"Yes, sir?" The familiar voice responded.

It was such a relief to hear Jarvis, especially after thinking he had lost him. He could have made another AI but it wouldn't have been the same. Jarvis was almost like a friend. He couldn't just replace him.

"Bring up the live video feed of Loki." He commanded after a short hesitant pause.

"Certainly, sir."

The feed appeared in front of him on one of his screen.

He had expected to see Loki pacing back and forth or pounding against the walls or even standing ominously in the centre of the room glaring at the camera. Instead the video feed showed him sat cross-legged on the floor with his arms were still pinned behind his back by the large, bulky cuffs. He sat unnaturally straight and stared blankly. Tony wasn't even sure he was blinking and he found it all a little eerie, almost like he was watching a dead person. There wasn't a flicker of emotion in Loki's face; he was just staring at nothing. He would not admit that goosebumps were beginning to form on his arms from watching the feed.

"What has he been doing?" Tony asked.

"Loki Odinson has been sitting silently the whole duration of his stay in the room, sir."

Odd, and a bit creepy then again he was batshit crazy, maybe this was normal behaviour for a Viking alien. He frowned a little. It probably wasn't normal behaviour.

Tony tipped the last of the drink down his throat and set the glass down heavily. He slipped the bracelet on, just in case, and left the living room.

He made his way down the long hall to the door to the room Loki was in. He stood outside it for a second, staring at the pale white design. This probably wasn't a good idea, but then again he never could resist bad ideas. They were just to intriguing. He was basically a moth to flames and to make it worse he was aware of the danger.

He was fully aware that despite the cuffs, holding Loki's hands back and his magic, Loki was still very dangerous. He chose to ignore it. His curiosity burned away any doubt about this idea, like it always did.

"Jarvis, door." Tony ordered.

There was a click and the door unlocked allowing him to grip the handle and opened it. There was not a single creak as it swung open, despite the lack of use this room had had.

He slid into the room and locked it quickly. Last thing he needed was to explain to SHIELD how he had lost Earth's Most Wanted.

As he glances around the room he found it to be smaller than he remembered. It was more like a cupboard than a room. The walls seemed to close in around him. He couldn't even remember what this room was for, after all, one of the many of perks of having so much money was being able to have more rooms than he would ever need.

Since the room was so small he had to stand against the wall to avoid stepping on the resident of the room. The occupier, Loki, was still sat cross-legged in the middle of the room, staring at seemingly nothing. Loki didn't even acknowledge his presence. He just remained unnaturally still, unblinking, and being generally creepy.

"Hello?"

Loki didn't even twitch, and completely ignored him or just didn't hear him, which Tony found hard to believe.

"Loki to Earth." Tony called with a raised eyebrow, "Anyone there?"

Loki eyes slowly moved to fix on him. Tony nearly flinched away but since there was nowhere to retreat to he was able to resist the urge.

Loki's gaze was hard and calculating, the blankness had faded. It made him begin to regret deciding to enter this tiny room with a mass murder. He felt like he was standing opposite to Hannibal Lector.

"Oh whew." Tony said leaning against the wall, to give the impression of being relaxed, "Here was me hoping you were dead." He joked.

"Get out." Loki said with a clear coldness leaking in to his tone.

His sharp gaze pierced through him like poisoned daggers.

"Chill." Tony replied, ignoring the demand because seriously who did Loki think was giving the orders.

"What were you doing anyway?" Tony asked curiously, waving his hand to Loki's sitting position.

"Meditating." Loki stated, "I doubt an ape like you would know anything about it."

Loki's body was tense and rigid but his expression gave nothing away. It was like staring at a wall of fury, any other emotions were either none existent or hidden away deep inside.

"This 'ape' does in fact know what meditating is." He replied, shifting his weight onto his other foot, "I'm just not a hippie. Meditating is boring, and I have no time to sit around doing nothing."

"Hippie?" Loki asked through his teeth.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Forget it."

These Norse gods were supposed to be intelligent yet they knew nothing about mundane things. Honestly it was ridiculous. Then again Thor trying to use the TV was something he would never forget. The memory almost caused him to smirk despite himself.

"But why are you meditating?" Tony asked after a short pause, "Shouldn't you be wearing a hole into my carpet muttering cheesy villain lines? Something's like 'you'll never get away with this' "

There was no response just a simple irritated frown before Loki looked away to stare at a wall in favour of him.

A silence fell between them. It was one he somewhat familiar with when a lapse of conversation fell between him and Romanoff. It gave off the feeling of being examined, picked apart for weaknesses, the tense air of a poised body. Loki wasn't looking at him but Tony still felt watched and analysed.

Tony decided to do the same back. Two could play at this game. As he scanned Loki up and down he found he still couldn't get used to how he looked. There was no armour, no green cape (thank god), in comparison he looked almost human. The grey hoodie and black jeans were just so normal, like something anyone would wear. He had thought it was something the God of Mischief wouldn't be caught dead in but he was apparently wrong.

Loki's hair was a bit longer than he remembered. It fell in long waves of black around his face down to his shoulders rather than small tuffs that tucked behind his ears. There was no gel in it so fell naturally, even then it didn't make him look feminine despite its length and glossy nature.

He was still wearing what looked like his large Asgardian boots, which was probably the only piece of his old clothing, apart from the odd looking bracelet on one of his wrists. It looked like a long band of silver with engravings all over it that Tony didn't recognise as any Earth language. The large boots and odd bracelet shouldn't have worked with the jeans and hoodie but somehow it did.

As Tony continued to examine him he found Loki's green gaze had turned back to him. His eyes now bore into him silently. Loki's eyes no longer contained rage but were instead blank and empty of any emotion. It wasn't the same blankness he had seen last time they had met in the fight of New York. These eyes were no longer filled with a madness and manic blood lust. He could have sworn he had blue eyes but he must have been mistaken. Loki still had a dangerous look about him but his posture was completely different. It was more defensive than offensive, which was odd. He looked less crazy, and damn had he looked insane last time they had met.

Tony noticed that there was a dark red mark running in a long streak down one of his forearm. It still looked damp and looked as if it was slowly expanding.

It's colour and its texture.. It looked like blood.

"What happened to your arm?" Tony asked slowly.

Loki's green eyes seemed to grow darker as his gaze remained unwavered in his silence.

"Was it Natasha?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"Get. Out." Loki hissed, his head suddenly jerking forward with his body.

Tony raised his hands, "Relax." He insisted.

Loki was like a fucking Jack Russell, who knew Natasha would strike a nerve. Though he supposed she had just beaten the crap out of Loki. That was bound to make it a sore subject.

Tony waited until Loki pulled himself back into a sitting position and had simmered down to a simple glare rather than a murderous look.

It was odd that Loki hadn't laid a finger on him, despite how much he looked like he wanted to murder him. He should be grateful but it made him feel a little uneasy. Sure he hadn't come in unarmed but Loki didn't know that.

"Shouldn't your arm be healed by now?" Tony asked after a moment, looking at the red wet material of Loki's hoodie.

He remembered how quickly Loki had healed affter being pounded into the floor so surely a simple knife wound should have healed ages ago.

Loki shifted raising the manacles slightly, to indicate to them. He looked like he was planning Tony's murder.

"Oh." He murmured.

Of course. The handcuffs blocked magic, perhaps his increased healing abilities were linked to the magic. That was something he definitely needed to look into when he got chance.

"Now get out." Loki snapped.

His eyes almost seemed to be glowing.

"You're not in a position to give orders." Tony huffed.

"When I am, you will be the first I kill." Loki said coldly, "I will skin you alive before tearing your organs out and forcing you to choke on them as I cram them down your pathetic throat."

"Well.. Isn't that nice." Tony replied, his eyebrows shooting up, "I'm sure after that you'll fill the room with Lego and make me walk across it whilst squirting lemon juice in my eyes.

"Lego?" Loki questioned, tilting his head to the side.

His reaction would have been quite cute, but it was the exact expression a wolf pulled as it watched an amusing rabbit it was going to eventually eat it.

Tony sighed, again with the inability to understand normal things.

"Legos are plastic building blocks which are painful to stand on." He explained.

Loki didn't reply and just gave him a look, which looked like he was judging him.

Tony shuffled a little, his feet becoming sore from standing. This is what his life had come to; being judged by supervillians. This was just great.

"Anyway as much as it's lovely discussing painful ways for you to torment me." Tony said changing the subject, "This is not why I came here."

Loki raised a question eyebrow, still boring his eyes into him.

He paused for a second. How did he go about asking this?

"Well?" Loki asked coldly with a layer of thick sarcasm.

Tony stepped forward, "Look... I need to know how you hacked my system"

Loki lips quirked to almost smirk.

"You shouldn't have been able to hack it." Tony continued, his words rattling through the empty air, "You don't have the plans for my network and there's no way you know how Jarvis works. When I reset the system all I found was a simple virus, it shouldn't have done so much damage. What on earth did you do?"

"Why would I tell you that?" He countered.

"Out of scientific interest?" Tony said hopefully.

Loki huffed slightly but didn't answer.

"Come on..." Tony almost whined but gained no response.

He hid a sigh and instead smiled at Loki "Come on, it must have been a clever virus or hack. Surely you'd love to demonstrate how bad my system is and how superior your hack was." He coaxed, "it must have taken a lot of work to get it right. Work that'll go unnoticed."

Loki's lips curled, "This isn't the movies, I'm not going to reveal what I did to nurse my ego." He replied.

"It was worth a try." Tony muttered.

He turned to leave, regretting wasting his time. He really wanted to know what Loki had done. It shouldn't have been possible to hack his stuff but somehow Loki had pulled it off with minimal knowledge of his technology. However it seemed Loki wasn't going to tell him how he had done it, which made him want to grate his teeth to flat nubs.

He turned back to Loki at the last moment, remembering the video feed he had seen with Bruce.

"What's the deal with you and Thanos?" Tony asked.

Loki glanced at him, "I don't know-" he trailed off staring at him.

His mouth suddenly clamped shut into a fine, thin line. It was as if there was now static in the air. Loki looked more pale, if that was even possible. Loki's eyes were now narrowed and his eyes seemed to be searching, looking him up and down.

He rose to his feet in a fluid motion, which was surprising since he didn't have his hands to propel him up. Tony refused to admit he backed away a tiny bit.

"How do you know His name?" Loki demanded, stepping towards him.

"Well he has popped up a couple of time on Earth with his buddies-" Tony began.

"What?" Loki snarled, his face twisting into a weird expression, "How many times?" He demanded.

Tony snorted, "That's classified."

"How many times?" Loki repeated, through his teeth so it came out more like a hiss or a growl.

He stalked towards Tony towering threateningly over him. His fists were clenched and his face fixed into a threatening snarl.

Tony felt his stomach twist. The room felt all of sudden a lot smaller.

He stared at Loki's eyes and realised that he wasn't sharing a room with a person but a cage with an untameable Panther. This panther's claws were drawn and ready for blood.

"Well.. Um nice talk." He said, shuffling away, "Don't go anywhere."

He sprung away just as he noticed Loki's body begin to coil up for a lunge.

He shot through the door and almost stumbled over as the door slammed shut behind him. He had only just dodged Loki's lunge.

The look in Loki's eyes had conveyed a clear message: he was going to try and rip him limb from limb, maybe not with his bare hands but perhaps his teeth. His teeth did look a lot sharper when they were bared.

He shivered a little at the thought of Loki's expression.

He stepped around the corner and nearly knocked into Natasha.

"Fuck!" He swore as he managed to stop himself toppling into her, "Do you always have to stand in dark corners?"

"This is a corridor with bright lighting." Natasha said dryly.

He huffed. "You know what I meant." he muttered.

Natasha didn't react and just eyed him blankly.

"What we're you doing in there with the prisoner?"

He smiled innocently, "Just getting know him."

"Stark." She said warningly.

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically, "I just wanted to find out how he hacked my network."

"Right." She said blankly, "Why were you scrambling out of there?"

"Uh," he said and paused to rub his temples, "Rudolf got a little moody after I mentioned Thanos." He admitted.

Natasha tilted her head slightly. She didn't reply, though she may have seemed interested. It was hard to tell with her. She probably had the same expression on Christmas day as she had on missions.

"Don't go in there again, Stark." She warned, "Next time you won't be worrying about the prisoner. This is SHIELD business."

"Right." He muttered, "Because SHIELD are always amazing at handling things."

"Get some sleep, Stark." She said, ignoring what he had said, "I'll keep an eye on Loki."

She strode off not even giving him chance to reply. Her heels clicked against the flooring as she disappeared around a corner.

"Goodbye then." He muttered.

He walked off in the opposite direction. He wasn't heading in the direction of his bedroom. After all, who was he fooling? He wasn't going to be able sleep with Thor's brother in his tower.

Not that he would have slept anyway.

The labs it was then.

\---

 

Loki's foot smashed into one of the walls as he let out a snarl. Chucks of plaster fell away under his foot. If he hadn't been wearing boots he would have broken his foot but it didn't really occur him at the moment in time. He could feel his hands beginning to shake, his breath catching in his throat.

By the Norns he wished he had moved quicker; quick enough to catch Stark. He needed to know what the Avengers knew about Thanos. They shouldn't know his name. Thanos wasn't supposed to be here.

He clenched his shaking hands into fists and unclenched them a couple of times as he tried to calm his breathing. He couldn't fall apart right now. Not in this place. He felt his breath slowly begin to drop back to normal.

He'd thought Thanos' appearance had been a one off. It seemed it wasn't. What was he up to? Who was he kidding.. he knew the answer to that.

Loki sighed and sank back down into a cross-legged position. This was all stuff he would worry about later. Right now he needed to get out of here before SHIELD got here. If SHIELD got here and he was still here.. it wouldn't end well.

Loki found the hole in the wall and fixed on it. He let his sight become full on it and focused on nothing else. He needed to bide his time a little longer.

He focused and the room faded back into silence again, free of Stark's infuriating yapping and his own inner thoughts.

He sat there with his eyes open and legs crossed just suspended in a practiced semi-consciousness. His mind floated. It was silent like a void but still aware of everything around it. Anything he felt was fleeting and more often than not he felt like he empty like he was just one of the arms of the Yggdrasil.

He stayed like that, sat quietly meditation, for around 20 minutes though he couldn't be sure. It could have been longer but that ceased to matter.

Barely moving his lips he murmured, "Jarvis?"

There was a slight pause before a response came from the ceiling.

"Yes, Mr Odinson?" Jarvis asked politely, though Loki could sense his tone was a little distasteful, "How may I be of assistance?"

Loki clenched his jaw slightly at the reference to 'his' last name. He had to remind himself that now was not the time and that he simply and error on the system

"Activate protocol: E6 HTW212." he ordered.

"I'm sorry. You do not have the correct clearance to activate thessn 109kj7001 gigyu- wh-yekkls-- ashw--"

There was a slight crackling as the voice of Jarvis seemed to sizzle and crack in the ceiling. Loki bit his lip listening, with his body as still as possible.

"Protocol: E6 HTW212 has been activated." Jarvis announced blankly.

Loki let out a slight sigh. Stark hadn't noticed the string of code he had hidden then.

"Set the camera in this room to a 2 minute recorded time loop." He comanded.

"Certainly."

Loki slid his fingers into the hem of his clothing. He felt around until he found a thin piece of metal poking into his finger from where he had hidden it. He carefully pried it out and, without looking back at his hands behind him, began fashioning it into a loop of sorts.

He slipped it into the keyhole of the cuffs and began twisting and fiddling. It was harder to do since he had to do it behind his back rather in front of him. It was always harder to pick a lock without looking but he had had a lot of practice so it wasn't long before he heard a click.

The cuffs didn't come off after the click but that didn't dishearten him. If these were the design he thought they were he would have to hear three clicks before his hands were free. They wouldn't hold him long.

As he worked on the cuff's mechanism he turned his attention back to Jarvis.

"Where are the Avengers at this moment of time?" Loki asked.

He needed them to be out of the way for his escape. If not he would have to fight his way out which would be harder but not impossible. He didn't have the energy to have a full on fight with someone like the Black Widow.

"Mr Stark is on the floor below in his labs," The AI began in a monotone voice, "Doctor Banner is three room over asleep, Miss Romanoff is in the floor above watching a feed of this room, Agent Barton is on his way to the Tower though his current location cannot be verified, Mr Rogers location is currently unknown it is likely he is on a mission and Thor Odinson is believed to be located with Jane Foster."

He pulsed his lips a little, "Has contact been made to Thor regarding my situation?" Loki asked as he twisted the wire sharply as it snagged something causing a click to occur and the handcuffs to loosen a millimetre.

He was nearly free of them.

"Contact has been attempted."

"He hasn't been picking up his phone?" He asked dryly.

"No."

"Change his number on the system" Loki said.

"What shall I change it to?" Jarvis asked.

He gave Jarvis a number of a mobile he had left in his flat, he wouldn't be going back for it. This way it may take them longer to get in touch with Thor. They wouldn't know about the loss of his powers, which would give him an advantage if he ran into them again, not that he planned to.

He rotated the metal carefully and felt it catch. As he twisted he heard a sharp click and the cuffs same away.

He smiled faintly rubbing as his wrists. There were faint red marks where the cuffs had been, since they had been put on too tight. They were also pale bruising because he had pulled at them in attempt to free himself.

He rose to his feet, brushing himself off.

"Jarvis, unlock the door." Loki commanded.

He heard a faint click of the door unlocking and smirked a little to himself, this was just too perfect.

He left the cuffs just lying on the ground where they had fallen. They would be a nice parting gift for Stark.

He quietly opened the door and slipping out. He glanced from side to side as he walked down the hall into the living room.

He was careful not to make too much noise as he walked since he was aware Banner was in one of the room. Last thing he needed was the Hulk barrelling through one of the walls.

He glanced around the living room and found the spots where his blood had been were now clean. The carpet looked almost brand new again.

Loki spotted his rucksack next to the sofa. He moved towards it and zipped it open to find the money was all there as was his lighter. He was surprised to see it was all there. He had been sure they would take it all or at least move it elsewhere.

On the table in front of him he also noticed a memory stick. He recognised it instantly as his own. He fished it up and shoved it in his pocket. It had all the maps and information he would need to move forward with the plan that was beginning to form in his mind.

These Avengers were really making it easy for him, it was ridiculous, they just left everything he needed out in the open.

He slipped his backpack onto one shoulder and turned to leave.

The window caught his eye. He could see the ledge leading out to the dark skyscrapers all around. It was the ledge he had stood on with a scepter in one hand and the Chitauri flying all around him. Loud expositions lighting up the sky and filling his ears as rubble fell away under the flames. His were arms ceased up and he was screaming instead..

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, ignoring the shivers running through his body, as he turned away. That was the past, there was no point reliving it. He needed to stop doing that.

He tightened his hand and found it was obstructed. He didn't remember picking up his lighter but there it was. The cold metal was hard against his palm, leaving a slight indent of its image on his skin.

His lips curled as a thought came to him.

His eyes fell onto Starks bar and a grin formed across his face. He may not live up to his promise of skinning the man alive, but now he had thought of the next best thing.

He snatched a bottle from behind the counter and uncapped it. He threw the cap away and it rolled off into some forgotten corner. Loki began pouring the alcohol all over the carpet up to the sofa, enjoying the gugging noise as it filled out and the way it splashed all over the place.

After he had poured the contents of a couple of bottles all around the room, he was satisfied to find the floor was soaked and reeking of the strong smell of alcohol that clung to his nostrils.

He moved to the doorway and then knelt down. He flipped the cap of the lighter and flicked the mechanism a couple of times until a spark lit. The spark bloomed up from the lighter, warming his hand. He pressed it to the soaked carpet and it began to catch.

The carpet smoked and just when Loki thought no flames would come, a glow appeared. Within moments the flames crept along the path of the alcohol and hungrily devoured the carpet. Loki stared at the flames as they rose up to his knees, dancing and eating away at the ground, and wrapping itself around the room. The smell of the fumes filled his nose and made his mouth water. The smell was thick of smoke and burning. The heat warned his face and he leant in to savour it. He almost wished he could stay and watch the flames rise up to the walls and twist across the whole room. To stand there as it pulled down the walls in a swirling mass of reds, yellows and oranges and watch as it took everything and left nothing to mercy because it's hunger would never be quenched, leaving only a blackened twisted room, empty and barren.

Loki turned away from the flames and took off into a jog.

He moved down the corridor and followed the map in his mind that led him to the stairs he had been to before.

He had just made it down the first flight of stairs when the fire alarm went off. Loki smirked at the shrill warning chimes that were sure to wake the Avengers from their safe sense of security. They would soon learn what had happened and learn thinking they could contain him so easily was a silly childish notion.

He stopped at the one flight of the stairs when he spotted a flicker of silver that turned out to be his blade. The green gems of the intertwined snakes stared up him as they swallowed their own tails. He wrapped his fingers around it and at first when he pulled it remained stuck to the ground like it was magnified. As he wrapped his hand around it fully it responded to his touch and came away from the floor. He slipped it up the sleeve of his hoodie, enjoying the feeling of it being close again, resting on his skin. He hated being without his knives, it always made him feel like some part of him was missing when they were gone. He slid it further up his sleeve before taking off running down the stairs.

Several moments later there came a point when there was just one more flight of stairs to the bottom. He pressed on with the shrill scream of the alarm ringing in his head. It had begun to hurt his ears from the long exposure to it. He wasn't sure why it hadn't been turned off yet; surely everyone was aware of the fire now. He never would understand mortals.

The door he'd been going for opened just as he reached the last steps. It swung open allowing cool air and the chatter of vehicle from outside to escape into the room.

A man stepped through the opening. He was dressed in dark leather clothing, his arms exposed, but his clothing were sturdy enough to take a knife and clung to his thin but well toned frame. His heavy shoes echoed against the floor just as you would expect from combat boots.

Loki recognised the figure in front of him instantly. It made him freeze momentarily as he took him in. It was almost impossible not to remember this mortal. He had probably spent the most time with this man out of all of them. He hadn't seemed to have changed a bit. He still sported that ridge stance and a serious expression. He even had the same clothes and a similar quiver slung over his back.

The mortal seemed to recognise him instantly, which wasn't much of a surprise. The man's eyes widened a fraction as he took him in.

Loki didn't have time to curse himself for not pulling his hood back up to hide his identity before Hawkeye drew his gun. There wasn't a second pause between Barton drawing his gun and the deafening sound of the shot. Loki didn't have time to move nor see the bullet.

Blinding pain shot through him instantly as he felt the bullet rip through his leg. It tore through skin and muscle with no resistance. Loki could feel warm blood seeping from the wound and a hard burning pain as the bullet buried itself into his leg.

Any other man would have stumbled at the gun shot and the agonising pain it brought but Loki simply launched himself forward. He snarled and threw his fist at Barton. It was blocked with a palm which allowed him to grasp his wrist and yank Hawkeye's arm out straight. He dug a finger into a spot below his wrist causing the Hawkeye's hand to spasm and lose grip on the gun. The gun clattered to the floor as Barton swore colourfully. Loki quickly kicked out before Barton could react, sending a sharp blow above his knee. He hit just the right spot to cause Barton to cry out and fold forward involuntary.

He grasped a handful of Barton's hair and viciously pulled his head up. He grinned down at him, getting a murderous glare back as the man gritted his teeth.

In one practiced move Loki struck a spot at the side of Barton's head. The blow caused Barton to gasp out. His eyes rolled back into his head as he dropped like a brick and became instantly limp. Loki let him fall from his hold, crumbled on the ground, like a drag doll. He stepped over his limp body without even glancing back.

Loki pulled his hood up and exited the building. No one stopped him as he walked across the dark square. In fact there was no one around except for two black vans with a couple of people stood around it. He walked across the square with his head down and his eyes fixed on the dirty stones ahead to avoid catching anyone's attention. SHIELD could already be here after all. They could be in those black vans across to his left.

He could feel warm blood trickling down his leg to his ankle as he limped to a nearby alley. The alley was between two tall buildings and was only big enough for two people to walk side by side. He could glimpse a busy high street at the end of the long alley. As he walked through the alley he could smell an odd odour coming from something huddled in a shadowed corner but Loki barely noticed. Each step he took sent shots of pain up his leg causing him to grunt under his breath. It was like walking on red hot coal. He couldn't stop though. It wouldn't be long until they noticed his absence if they hadn't already.

They would be looking for him.

He exited the alley onto to the busy street. It was buzzing with packs women in extremely short dresses, already drunk men ready to party and tired workers going home late.

The roads were packed with traffic whizzing back and forth. Yellow, black, silver and grey seemed to blur into one as each car rushed back and forth across either sides of the road. Disappearing into the crowd should have been easy but with a limp it was made considerably harder. He tried desperately to hide his limp caused from the gun shot but this only caused him to tire quicker and made him move slower. His limp reduced his mobility and caused him to be continuously knocked and barged by busy passersby. He wanted to growl at them for such an insult, but Midgard was not like Asgard. They all milled around like ants with no regard for personal space. It would also do him no favours to draw attention to himself.

So he walked on. Every step he took was heavy and painful, causing little gasps to escape his lips. He refused to acknowledge them and its weakness. All he knew was he had to get away from the tower.

Far away.

It must have been 15 minutes of walking the streets before he realised he had no idea where he was. The streets all seemed the same and the signs meaningless blurs.

His head felt fuzzy and the bleeding just didn't seem to stopping. It soaked through his black jeans and made it stick to his leg.

He ducked into an alley as he felt his legs wobble. Damn this mortal body. Lack of blood and the lack of food he had been running on didn't seem to be working.

He let himself fall to the ground in a doorway as his vision blurred, threatening to fade altogether. The stone was cold and rough beneath him but it blocked him from view. Grey walls of brick rose around him blocking the sound of cars passing in quick zips. Hopefully it would keep him from being noticed by any Agents.

He must be far from the tower now. He couldn't see it in the skyline but then again he could barely keep his head up. He should have gone back to the flat or Eric's, but thinking straight was just too tiring. He had no idea where he was or why he had chosen this direction.

He felt a dizzy spell take him again. His sight pulsed and faded into black fuzzy dots. His limps went cold and then lost feeling as he felt blood leak from the wound.

He should have stopped to sort his wound. He wasn't a God anymore. He was mortal and he could bleed. He could die.

Fenrir would never know what had happened to him.

Too much blood was pouring out. Too much.

Everything began to fade away. He'd just close his eyes for a moment. He'd enjoy this warm detachment.

He was just so tired.

His eyes fell shut.

\---

712 AD Midgard

Loki sprinted forward, his lungs burning from the effort of getting oxygen. As he sped through the thick snow his breath created icy swirls in the air. His feet kicked up snow around him as he scrambled along.

The snow made it difficult to keep his footing since it was deep and uneven at random places. It made it feel like he was running up hill rather than through a wood since it took greater energy to run on this terrain.

Large evergreen trees rose all around him helping to hide him from view and keep him out of the open. The surrounding trees blocked out most of the light so it was darker than it should be. The trees also stopped the sun's glare reflecting on the snow, which would have made it almost blinding to look at. However since the trees were close together it meant he had to dodge and twist around them as he ran rather than running in a straight line, which slowed him down considerably.

Loki clutch at his stomach as he ran in the hopes the pressure would stop the pain. It felt like something was clawing at his insides however there seemed to be no ailment. His stomach continued to only throb and burn more as he moved. He didn't have the choice to stop no matter how much it hurt.

Behind him Loki could hear men in pursuit not too far behind. Their large boots against the snow made clear crunching noises as they ran after him.  
They were getting closer and closer the more he ran. Earlier he had hardly been able to hear them but now they were almost upon him.

Loki ducked under a low hanging branch just as a guard appeared in front of him.

The man was easily twice his size and seemed to tower over him. He was dressed in heavy armour with his hand on the long golden hilt of his sword. How he had managed to get in front of him was a mystery, he couldn't have looped around. Loki would have heard him.

Loki stumbled to a stop, nearly slipping in the snow. He huffed a little as the pain took him again because of the jerking stop. Pain tore through him like a wild fire leaving him helpless to lean against the tree with his eyes squeezed shut. His stomach felt raw and painful as an aching sharp pain pulsed through him forcing him to gasp for air. He could vaguely hear the guards closing in around him but it was all he could do to keep himself standing against the sharp pain.

Loki opened his eyes to see the guard staring at him wearily without having drawn his sword yet. Loki swallowed and took a deep breath.

A warrior should never let their guard down.

His hand snaked to his sword as he shakily tried to banish the almost unbearable pain. Loki swiftly unsheathed it and thrust the whole blade straight through the Asgardian's chest. It slid through him like butter causing blood to bloom all around the entry wound, before the man could even lift his sword to stop him.

Loki pulled the blade out and watched as the guard crumpled to the ground, with blood gushing from the hole where his heart should be. The blade was heavier than he remembered; he could barely keep hold of it. He allowed his grip to loosen and the sword to fall into the snow. It almost disappeared completely as it sank under the snow. He would come back for it later.

"Loki, give yourself up!" One of the guards shouted from a distance.

Loki twisted around to see two guards stood not far behind him.

They were dressed in full Asgardian armour with their swords drawn. They were slowly advancing on him and looked displeased with the murder of their comrade.

Loki sneered at them and willed green flames to appear in each hand. They flickered nearly going out. The guards didn't seem to notice but he cursed himself for his weakened state.

"You know I can't do that." Loki said trying to keep his voice level as pain shot through him against his will.

One guard opened his mouth but whatever he was going to say turned into screams.

By the Norns did they scream.

With a flick of his wrists green flames enveloped both of the men. Their skin peeled away under the heat, revealing muscle and then only bone, all the time they screamed on the spot. They yelled and flailed in a desperate attempt to put out the roaring flames. By the end they were nothing more than smouldering ash on the red melted snow. There would never be any bodies to send out to sea.

Loki took off running in the opposite direction, barely looking at their remains. The snow crunched beneath his foot. His heart hammered and his lungs ached as he darted between the trees.

He wished he could change shape; a wolf or an eagle would be good right now. He couldn't risk it. It might kill them. He didn't even know if he had the strength to do it. He wasn't sure he could even teleport. He just couldn't risk it.

As he ran the land began to decline, leading onto a slight slant. It made grip on the damp snow extremely hard at the speed he was moving. He had to half slide and half run down the dip, whilst trying to remain upright.

He had nearly reached the end of the descent and the start of an incline when he slipped in the snow and almost fell flat on the ground. He's hand shot out and he caught himself on the thick trunk of one of the trees.

A pain shot through him as he fell twisted. The pain built, as if trying to break free, and then there was a feeling of released pressure. He moaned, gasping for air as the pain grew more intense.

He looked down to see his trousers were slowly becoming soaked.

"No.." He gasped and started stumbling forward again.

He didn't care that his hand grew wet and cold in the snow as he clawed through it to drag himself up.

He scrambled up the icy terrain clutching at his stomach as the aching pain returned over and over. He glanced down to see blood beginning to drop onto the snow with each step turning the white into a red trail.

This couldn't be happening. Amora had said...

God he needed her. He need someone, anyone.

But there's no one you can go to it there? He reminded himself bitterly.

He was alone. He was really all alone.

He had lost the two things that he would actually admit to loving. Now he could lose a third.

Why did it have to happen now? Why the fuck did it have to be now.

He paused for a second gulping for air. Breathing in was painful and made his airways burn against the icy air. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve as he moved on.

He dragged his feet through the snow, trying to keep his legs working. He had to keep going. More guards would be coming soon. If they caught him.. No he didn't want to think about it. He wouldn't let it happen.

He fell into a pattern of running for a short distance and then slowing to a half walking jog when the pain grew too intense. He needed to find somewhere to stop soon or he would simply collapse and die in this snow.

He began climbing a rockier hill. Its rocks bit into his hands as he pulled himself up part of the way. He wasn't sure how long he had been running but his legs were beginning to shake and he knew he wasn't getting any stronger.

When he had made it a short way down the other side of the hill and then onto a snowier incline, he spotted a gap in the rocks a short way up. He scrambled up with little grace, not really caring at this point, he found on closer inspection the gap to be a small cave.

He stumbled into the cave and almost falling to the ground. He rested his palm against the cold stone and glanced around. His sight was blurry from the shooting pain but he could see it was an empty cave meaning there was no immediate danger.

He folded in on himself into a foetal position on the hard stone floor as he huffed and panted against the strange pain that came over him again.

He was in his Asgardian form. This shouldn't be happening. It wasn't possible. He was male. It was wrong.

He fell onto his back as a convulsion shot through him. He let out a strangled scream. It felt like something was trying to break out. He laid panting and sweating against the cold rough ground. The wind was cut off by the cave entrance but its chill still entered. It didn't bother him as much as it should.

Loki pulled off his bottom half and stared at the blood and clear liquid that immediately gushed across the floor. It spread out like dark ink. There shouldn't be so much blood.

He cried out as something twisted inside him. He let his head fall back against the hard floor, not caring as it cracked against it, as he gasped for air.

His body was on fire. His skin was too hot, it made him feel queasy, and everything was spinning around and around. A sharp pain coursed through him again.

\--

One Hour Earlier

The air was chilly all around him but he was used to it so did not shiver as others might have. In front of him large, arched, golden doors of the home rose up high into the grey sky. They were easily large and wide enough for a Giant to enter the Hall. The sky itself was considerable darker than the place he had just come from.

Loki strode forward and flicked his hand. Green sparks flew from his glowing fingers and the heavy doors crashed open, allowing Loki to enter without even touching them.

"Amora!" Loki shouted, glancing from side to side.

There was not a single person in sight. No maids, no servants, no guards.

A large number of columns rose either side of him, up to the ceiling, stopping its number at a throne like seat at the end of the Hall.

Air caught in his throat as still no one appeared despite his loud entrance. No, he couldn't be too late. It should be impossible for anyone to have got here before him. But it was quiet. Too quiet.

He broke into a run through a corridor to his left. His feet flew across the ground as he made his way to the private quarters. He past no one as he ran. There should have been guards, servants, even the Lady herself.

Amora's Hall was too quiet, it was eerie.

He flung open the bedroom door and came to a sudden stop.

It took him a moment to take in what he saw. It was almost like he was trying to convince himself it wasn't real.

In front of him what looked like large, black burn marks covered the stone flooring. A table to his right was tipped over with shattered glass surrounding it. Candle light caught the shards making it look like the floor was on fire. A bookcase was partly tipped over, only stopped by a desk it was now leaning precariously against, with most of its books poured out. The majority of the books were bashed or lying open at random pages.

In the corner two beds lay empty. The sheets were torn back, twisted and torn.

He stared at them as his nails dug into the palm of his hands drawing blood. He didn't even notice the sting of pain or the dampness of blood.

Loki's head reeled, this could not be happening. This could not be happening.

"It took you long enough." A female voice said dryly.

He spun around, almost startled by the sudden voice, not that he would admit that.

In front of him was Amora. Her long blonde hair flowed freely down to her waist. Her hair looked like spun gold as it shone in the candle light. A green dress clung to her frame. It was much shorter than was appropriate, and showed off her attractive figure and thin legs. Her eyes were emerald and were a deeper and darker green compared to her dress.

If Loki hadn't spent so much time with Amora he wouldn't have noticed the slight red ting around her eyes. It was small, barely showing, but he noticed it anyway.

The look she was giving him was hard and cold, and tried to give nothing away.

"Where are they?" He almost whispered.

Please let them just be coming back from the market.

Amora shrugged her hair shifting behind her as she did so.

"Gone." She stated dismissively.

"Gone" Loki repeated slowly, his blank expression slipping slightly as he tried to process the words.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Blood was pounding through his head and he could hear every thump of his heart but Amora's words just didn't seem to reach him. They didn't make sense. They couldn't be gone.

"Let me guess Narvi and Vali are safe and sound." Amora commented icily.

Loki nodded slightly, "Sigyn has taken them somewhere safe."

"With her lover you mean." She replied, her lips curling.

"I didn't ask." Loki said with a frown, "What did you mean by Jormungand and Hela being gone?"

He hoped it was all just a misunderstanding.

Her eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what I mean."

He swallowed, he hadn't been mistaken then.

"I came as soon as I heard-"

"Don't lie." She snapped, striding towards him with her dress swirling around her thighs, "I know you must have been one of the first to hear about what the Norns had seen. You didn't warn me. You didn't give me to prepare for Odin. This is on YOU Loki!"

She spat his name like it left a vile taste in her mouth whilst her finger jabbed into him with each word.

Her eyes glowed and sparks began to fly around her fingers.

"I'll find Father.. I'll reason with him it's not too late-" He tried to promise.

"It is!" She shrieked, hammering her fist into him. He didn't even notice the pain. "They're gone!" She screamed, "They threw our daughter into Hel! Our son into the depths of a Midgardian Ocean!"

"But-"

"You once again put those twins and that STUPID wife of yours before me and the children!" She snarled, "They dragged our children away, kicking and screaming. They would have dragged me away to! I didn't even have time to defend this Hall."

"Why would they want to take you?" He asked his eyes widening in alarm.

"They were looking for our 3rd child." She hissed with clenched fists.

"Our third?" He said hesitantly, "but the Norns only mentioned 3 of my children.. Which had be Jormungand, Hela and Sleipnir. That's only two of our children."

Amora's face twisted into a bitter mask, "No, the Norns said the one who would kill Odin would be one of the three children bore between you and me."

"We've only got two.." He started.

"Which is why they were going to take me." Amora said placing a hand on her belly pointedly.

He looked down at her stomach. This made no sense. They had only ever had the two children. They had never had more. Hela was still so young.

He frowned staring at her belly.

Then it clicked.

"Are you pregnant?" He asked slowly.

"No." she replied curling her lips.

"Then the Norns are lying.." He slowly said, feeling the lie slipping from his lips.  
The Norns never lied, they just spoke in riddles.

A sickening feeling beginning to seep into him as he saw a smirk speed across Amora's face as some sort of realisation struck her.

"I'd thought the same until you got here." She grinned.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a deep frown.

She suddenly started laughing. It was a long high-pitched cackle. It wasn't one of joy or humour but one that was filled with malice. He stiffed a little, his hands becoming poised.

"You really don't know, do you?" She giggled.

He stared at her. What on Earth was she talking about? What was he supposed to know? Had she already had a child?

"I bet you've been finding you tire easier than usual." She said smirking, "maybe throwing up regularly?"

This was all true he supposed, but he didn't see how it was relevant. He'd been using a lot of magic lately, which could often cause sickness.

"It's not me carrying our third child." She sniggered.

He quirked his eyebrows with his jaw clenched tightly. He was missing something; something obvious but he didn't know what. He didn't appreciate the way she was looking at him, like he was part of some sort of joke he was unaware of.

She rolled her eyes when he didn't say anything, "Honestly Loki," She drawled, "I'm quite surprised you haven't realised yet."

She paused; pouting her lips, there was a glimmer in her eyes that he couldn't quite place.

The next words she spoke where slow punctured into the air. His mind almost refused to expect what she said. The words came out like honey, thick and too sweet.

"It's you."

"What?" He said hesitantly. He must have misunderstood her meaning.

"It's you, not me." she repeated, "You're the one carrying our third child."

He stepped back, "That's impossible." He snapped.

"Just like Sleipnir was?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is it really that much of a stretch that you're carry our child. You've done it before with that bastard horse."

"But that was different." He insisted.

This was completely different, in every way.

This couldn't be happening again. She had to be lying. It was the only explanation.

"We're both magic users Loki." She said with a condescending tone, "It's not like any of our other children have been what you'd call normal."

"You're lying." Loki accused.

She had to be.

"So you're telling me you can't sense it?" Amora asked with a quirked eyebrow, "You can't hear the extra heart beat?"

She placed a hand on his stomach, even though it was covered by his thick armour. He stilled and let silence fall between them. He listened with his head slightly tilted.

He was about to curse and tell her telling to come up with better lies when he finally heard it. It was a small thump but it was definitely a heartbeat. It was a small fast heartbeat coming from within him. It was a strong and from what he could sense it wouldn't be long before the child entered this world.

His eyes widened a fraction. How had he missed it? But then again it shouldn't be possible, male Æsir couldn't bear children it just wasn't achievable.

"I told you." Amora chuckled.

A slight rush sparked through him, despite the dread the news brought since once again he had found something to prove how different he was. They still had chance to save one of their children from his Father.

He licked at his lips, "We've still got time if we leav-"

"Stop." Amora said sharply.

"But Amo-"

"You think I want to run off with you to raise this baby in the woods?" She snapped.

He deflated slightly, "well-"

"Shut up." She hissed. "You're the reason I've lost my children. That thing." She pointed disgustedly towards his stomach, "Is not mine. It will never be born."

"Amora." He said warningly, his eyes narrowing.

Amora snarled and struck him across the face causing him to jerk back and clutch his cheek.

"This is all _your_ fault!" She shrieked. "I will enjoy watching them rip that child out of you! Then you'll understand. They'll find the twins and take them too. You'll have nothing!"

Loki clenched his fists. "This is your child too." Loki insisted.

"No it isn't!" She snarled, "That thing will be worth exchanging for my freedom. I will not return to Asgard to spare that bastard child!"

She lifted her palms up and willed green balls of light to appear in her out stretched hands. The emerald globes spread out and glowed and flickered around them.  
He braced himself for attack just as she flung her arms out with a yell and the green light enveloped the room. Instead of it striking him it seeped past him to reveal figures all around the room. He stared for a second.

"I would say I'm sorry but I'm not, not one bit." She spat at him before turning to the men.

It took him a moment to he recognise their armour and swords to be that of Asgard's. They had to be warriors. He should have noticed the cloaking spell. He had been too caught up with what had happened to his children. Damn it. He was not normally so careless.

"Take him." Amora ordered, "Make sure Odin knows I've done my side of the deal."

\--

He couldn't do this on his own. He could feel tears in his eyes. He blinked them away angrily.

With Sleipnir there had been help. He wanted Frigga or Sigyn. He couldn't do this without them.

He moaned and gripped at the floor as another contraction shot through him. He gripped at the floor tighter as sweat began to dampen his face and string his eyes.

He could do this. They had taken Hela and Jormungand. He wouldn't let them take another. He couldn't take it if they did.

He tried to control his breathing through each contraction. He tried to remember how Sigyn had done it, how he had done it with Sleipnir.

He squeezed his eyes closed and pushed.

He screamed. He cried and writhed.

He didn't know how long he was there. Each contraction got closer and he was losing too much blood. Each contraction hurt so much. It felt like he was being ripped apart. Something didn't feel right. The more he pushed the sharper the pain.

He could hear the echo of his heavy breathes against the silent walls of the cave and his cries of pain. He could hear blood racing past his ears like heavy drums.

It was just him. No one to tell him when to push. No one to clutch his hand. No one to brush the hair away from his eyes. It was just him. All alone.

He could feel something coming. He pushed harder trying to control his breathing. He felt like he was floating. It was all a sea of pain and blood. He let out a yell as he pushed harder and felt a head begin to emerge. Not long now he told himself. He pushed harder and heavier. The contraction were so close together now.

His legs felt sticky from blood but he barely noticed, all his skin was feverishly damp with sweat anyway.

He pushed as hard as he could and didn't care how loud he screamed as he felt himself split into pieces. It was almost there. He panted for air as the world span. He could do this.

He took in a deep breath and as a mind breaking contraction took him, he pushed.

There a rush of released pressure as something moved followed by a little wet noise as something came into impact with the blood. Loki slowly pried his eyes open in the dim light. He weakly lifted his head to see something lying in the blood between his legs. Sweat stung his eyes as he gently scooped it up out of the blood.

Its tiny legs kicked and twitched. In his arms lay a little wolf cub that huffed and coughed, letting out a tiny whine. Its eyes were tightly shut and it was a faint pinky-grey colour. Its small body was covered in oozing blood and goo but he barely noticed as he clutched his little cub to his chest.

It was beautiful. He could feel a small spark inside him as he watched the little wolf. It was his. He smiled faintly down at the little pup as it squirmed weakly in his arms. His head throbbed and he felt weak. It was probably because of all the blood he had lost. He paid little attention and simply clutched the wolf with all his worth.

As he clutched the wolf he felt a sudden twisting pain causing his eyes widened.

No... By the Norns... No.

He pressed his eyes and moaned out as pain took him again. It was even more intense than before. He wanted to sob, he couldn't do this again.

He gasped out, the noise echoing against the stone ceiling, as he felt something pour against the stones. It was thick and he could smell something metallic in the air.

Contraction struck him with frightening force, trapping him in the rhythm again. Panting, pushing, moaning. Each time a contraction hit, he cried out with his raw voice, and pushed with all his strength.

His clothes and hair were soaked and sticky from sweat. He could barely keep his eyes open. They just felt too heavy. He felt like he was drunk, everything swayed around. Everything was dizzy. It was all just pain and pushing.

At one point when he was crying out in agony, he swore he heard footsteps. Though he couldn't see straight, all he saw when he looked was a blur of colours. He could barely breathe, let alone concentrate. Maybe there was a man stood over him. Maybe there was shouting and clanging of metal but that would make no sense. He was alone. Just him, his wolf and the wolf to come.

He felt the ghost's hands try to pull his cub from him. He bit down on the phantom hand and screamed at them. Who knew an apparition could bleed? He told the spirits to be gone but they didn't listen. They stayed, tormenting him with words. He couldn't make sense of them. All he knew was the pain.

He felt a tightness grow and the pain expanded causing him to become dizzy. If he had the strength he would have puked. Instead he gripped his cub tight and pushed.

There was an odd noise and then the pain was gone. He let out a quiet sigh and sagged. The world spun around and around. Dots danced all around but he managed to drag himself up into a sitting position.

He was dimly aware of the presence of other all around him but he ignored them. He couldn't be sure if they were real or not and he didn't care.

He scooped up the tiny form between his legs. It was cold to the touch. It didn't twitch and it didn't mewl. It lay awkwardly in his arms.

It felt wrong.

He pried his eyes open so they fully open. He took in the tiny form of the cub. Its eyes were closed and it was covered in thick blood. Its legs dangled and its chest did not rise and fall. It didn't kick out.

It was lifeless.

Tears ran down his cheeks by their own accord. He wiped the blood from its body and he gently patted its back. Still it didn't breathe.

He shook it a little, a hand reached out to grab it. He jerked away and screeched at it.

"It's dead.." The ghost murmured.

Tears poured down his cheeks faster now and he shook his head. He clutched the tiny body to his chest. It wasn't moving. He started gasping for air as he let out tiny sobs.

By the.. Norns.. It was dead.

He let out a cry and clamped a hand over his mouth. No it couldn't be. He was vaguely aware his body was shaking uncontrollably.

He was dimly aware that the ghosts were closing around him trying to pry his pup and his.. His..

He exploded, letting out an ear-splitting scream. Green light glowed around him for a second before detonating and expanded out. Other people's screams filled the air.

He cried and cried clutching his kicking pup and the... Corpse.

He was dimly aware that some of the screams weren't his. They sound like men.. Like warriors.

He didn't care.

He didn't care that he was screaming his voice raw. He didn't care for the green flames expanding out all around him. He didn't care that real men were probably crying out.

All he could do was stare down into his arms with tears pouring down his face. All he saw was a tiny wolf cub kicking and mewling, next to a cold, twisted, lifeless body covered in his cold blood.

Dead.

\---

Present Day.

When Loki came around it was to a damp sensation on his face. He pried his eyes open slowly, finding his head seemed throb and ache. It was like needles were being slowly pushed through his skull and were piercing into his brain.

He felt so... Weak... so tired.

As he lay there, he realised he was crumpled on the ground with his arms and legs sprawled around him, feeling awkward and detached from their joints. He couldn't quite remember how he had got here. He remembered he'd been shot and he had been trying to get away from the Tower. He'd been losing too much blood from the gunshot wound and he had ducked into an alley to rest. After that his memory went blank. He could only assume he had blacked out.

As Loki focused on his surroundings he realised the wet sensation on his face was a mixture of a moist nose pressed to his cheek sniffing franticly and a wet tongue lapping at him.

He moaned quietly and pushed the muzzle away. The sensation was too warm for it to be comfortable right now.

He looked up properly to see a wolf staring down at him with huge green eyes.

"Mōðir?" Came a whisper inside his head.

Loki groaned under his breath, trying to sit up but his arms wobbled and wouldn't move, refusing to lift his weight. He lay back trying to pretend he had chosen to lie in this alley. He hated this.

He huffed and looked at the Fenrir.

"Don't call me that." He muttered.

The wolf seemed to sigh.

"How long was I out?"

His voice came out slightly cracked and not as level as he would like.

"Only a couple of minutes, I think. You're losing too much blood." Fenrir murmured, his tail straight and stiff, "I could smell you from a mile away."

Really? He was bleeding out? He hadn't noticed, he wanted to reply sarcastically but he was just too tired. His body was begging for him to give in, to just let go, but he refused to pay it any attention.

He looked down at his leg in the dim light. Blood was spread out across the blackened stone. It lay thickly around him slowly expanding out. He wasn't sure how much blood he could lose before he really did black out for real.

He pulled out his knife and tore his trouser leg down the middle to get a better look at the wound. As the material fell away under the knife it revealed a large wound. The bullet had managed to slice through his leg vertically and so it left a jagged trench of torn flesh leading down his leg. The bullet had then seemed to have embedded itself in his leg a short distance from the torn flesh. He couldn't even see the bullet in this light; it had to be in deep. The bullet had left a gaping hole in his leg with dark blood oozing out.

Fenrir stepped towards his leg. His snout moved down to the wound as he let out a little huff. The wolf's eyes slowly shut and Loki could feel the air beginning to tingle like there was static.

"No." Loki grunted, shuffling away, causing himself to wince at the strain on the wound, "I have to get the bullet out first, otherwise you'll just seal the bullet inside my leg. Don't waste your magic."

Fenrir shifted and settled down on his stomach. His jaw was set tight and Loki noticed his hackles were raised and his shoulders were hunched and tense.

Loki ignored him and turned back to his leg, trying to keep his eyes open. It would be easy to let go and just let himself bleed out, but no he couldn't. He wasn't alone anymore. He couldn't be selfish. Even if people would be better off witho- no. There was no time for these thoughts.

He slipped his fingers into the wound and moaned at the burning feeling. He panted, trying not to faint from the pain. He had endure worse he reminded himself. Many times he had had to treat his own wounds on the battle field. This was no different. Apart from the lack of magic, his mind whispered. He frowned ignoring it.

He pressed deeper. Warm blood soaked his fingers and seeped under his nails as he drew closer. If he could get it out then Fenrir could heal him. It was in too deep though. He could barely see over the blinding pain of sliding his fingers in open flesh.

He felt Fenrir suddenly tense but he ignored him and instead concentrated on finding the bullet.

"Father, someone is watching us." Fenrir said urgently in his head.

Loki drew his hand out of his leg, wincing at his jerking movement, and felt around him for his blade. His hands skimmed over the cold dirt until it gripped onto the handle of his blade.

SHIELD couldn't have caught up already, could they? He was in no state to fight them off but at least he had Fenrir.

He followed Fenrir's gaze to a dark figure on top of the building in front of them. The figure stood tall staring down at them. He seemed to be dressed in all black head to toe. Wind blew through the building tops but it didn't seem to touch the figure, it was as if he was part of the city but was not tainted by it.

Loki's grasp tightened on his blade as the figure flipped from the building. His did a complete back flip, looking as graceful as Romanoff, before landing in a crouched position in front of them without a single sound. Landing like that must have taken a lot of skill. Loki eyed the figure, he didn't seem to be a SHIELD agent but he couldn't be sure.

Fenrir let out a low growl and slowly moved to Loki's left in a protective stance.

The figure glanced in the direction of the wolf but his gaze was a little off. He looked at the wolf but the position of his meant his eye line was too low. Loki noted through his blurry vision that the man's face was covered with black material, a bit like a ninja. Could he see through it?

"That is a large dog." The figure remarked dryly.

Fenrir growled inching forward but the man simply raised his hands in a sign of peace.

"I noticed you'd been shot." The man explained. "You look like you need help."

"It's none of your business." Loki replied coldly, pointing the blade in the man's direction. The action made him feel a little dizzy. "Go before I let my 'dog' rip you apart." He threatened.

The man stepped forward despite Fenrir's deep growling. That took a lot of guts. Fenrir's facial expression and demeanour, not to mention large, bared canines, should have sent him running. Who was this man?

Loki could sense a surprising strength in the slim figure. The man may be human but there was something different about him. He couldn't quite place it. There was just something unusual about him. Maybe he was starting to become delirious or maybe he was already dead.

"You'll bleed out, though if that's before or after SHEILD find you is another matter." The man said bluntly.

It sounded as if he was raising an eyebrow, though the man sounded... concerned.

Loki hissed a little. If SHEILD found him he might as well be dead, he'd hope he was dead. He would never get out of there and if he did it would just be into another prison.

The man chuckled, "From that reaction I take it you are the man SHEILD are desperately looking for. The description I overheard wasn't much to go on but then again there aren't many people that get shot in the leg at this time at night. What did you do for SHEILD to be after you?" The man questioned with what sounded like a frown in his voice.

"Nothing." Loki lied, "I didn't do anything."

The man tilted his head a tiny bit and paused as if listening.

"Nothing?" He repeated.

"Yes, nothing," Loki said and watched as the man did the same head tilt, listening for something before seeming satisfied at what he had found.

"So do you need help?" The man continued, "I'm not really a fan of SHIELD and I can't leave a man to bleed out."

"No." Loki snapped, glaring at the intruding man.

"Father." The wolf murmured telepathically, "You'll die, let him heal you. If he means you ill I will rip him apart before you can."

Loki eyed the man again. His stance was stiff but in a defensive way. His getup didn't look like SHEILD uniform. There was no logo and it looked like any old dark clothing you could find in a store. The fabric mask that covered his eyes was off putting, especially because of the lack of eye holes, but he could feel each of his limps growing weaker. If he didn't do something soon he would bleed to death. He might as well accept the man's help and then kill him if he made a wrong move.

"Fine." Loki said, well, he more muttered it but he wouldn't admit it sounded sulky.

The man didn't move, even when Fenrir backed off. Was he going to stand there all night?

The man cleared his throat, "Could you put your knife down?"

Loki glanced down at the blade which he was holding tightly and still had pointed in the man's direction. Oh, he had forgotten about that; that made sense. He slowly slid it into his boot for easy access. He still didn't trust the man after all.

The man seemed relaxed by this and moved to kneel beside him. Loki watched, with half closed eyes, as the man carefully examined the damage by ghosting his fingers around the wound.

"I suppose I can't convince you to go to a hospital?" The man asked softly.

"No." Loki muttered.

The man sighed and ran his finger around the wound again, "I don't have anything to stitch it up with. I can take the bullet out but then you'll just bleed out more."

"I can sort it once the bullet is out." Loki replied, his gaze falling to Fenrir.

He didn't want to admit he couldn't reach the bullet by himself.

The man nodded but didn't question him in how he would close the wound. There were many methods after all.

The man drew out a thin blade slowly as if he was worried of spooking him. Fenrir still let out a low warning growl at the sight of the weapon.

"I'm just going to use it to get the bullet out." He explained carefully, "I just need to get under it."

Loki nodded to Fenrir to let him know it was fine and the wolf ceased the growling but still eyed the man cautiously.

Loki let his eyes fall shut as he felt fingers and a blade skim over the wound. He felt a tiny cut being made and he bit his lip as the man's fingers slid into the hole. He panted heavily as he felt something being dragged out of his leg. It rubbed and dragged against the open flesh making pain shoot through him.

All at once there was a loss of the dragging object and a little ping of metal hitting stone and then the uncomfortable feeling of a hand being pressed against his wound. He whined a little at the pain and pried his eyes open into slits. The man was lent over him pressing his hand to his leg, which was almost completely drenched in blood that ran all over the earlier darkened, dried blood. The blood slipped down his leg and soaked the man's hand.

"It's out." The man said, "You need to put pressure on it and stitch it up with whatever you have."

Loki nodded a little and moved his hand to his leg. The man let his hand fall away so Loki could press him own hand against his leg.

He caught a glimpse of the man's hands. They were rough and bruised and scuffed as if he'd been hitting something repetitively.

He watched as the figure tilted his head to the side and then stiffened. His mouth turned into a thin line.

The man straightened up, "Are you good from here?" The man asked uncertainty.

"Yes." Loki said and then after a pause, "Thank you."

The man nodded in acknowledgement, "If you need a place to hide out from SHIELD there's an abandoned building down to the left of this alley." He explained.

Loki nodded a little, pressing down on the wound as more blood continued to seep out.

The man moved to grab a metal railing above him, "I wish you luck then." He said.

He lifted himself up onto the metal by flipping himself upside down into a handstand like a gymnast.

"Wait." Loki called, his voice shaking from blood loss, "Who are you?"

...And why did you help me; me of all people.

The man pushed off the railing and flipped himself back on top of the building. Loki thought the man was going to ignore his question but the man turned at the last second to look down to him from the ledge above.

He chuckled a little, "You're not from Hell's Kitchen are you?"

Obviously not, he wanted to say but he was still dizzy from the effort of shouting.

"Some people call me the Devil of Hell's Kitchen." The man said simply before taking off into a sprint and leaping from the building into the darkness.

That wasn't really an answer.

Fenrir moved to him the second the man was gone and nudged his hand off the wound with his snout. Blood instantly poured out but Fenrir pressed his nose to it. There was a tingling sensation and then a feeling of tightness as his skin began to glow. The wound began to pull itself together. He gasped out as either side of the gaping hole brushed against each other before knitting itself together.

When Fenrir pulled away there was not a mark on his skin to indicate a gunshot wound. The only give away was the blood pooled around his leg and the dried blood covering his shin and thigh.

"Thank you." He mumbled.

Fenrir butted his head against his shoulder and hummed. Loki reached out and ran a hand through the wolf's fur, enjoying warm and soft texture under his fingers.

"We should move to this abandoned building the Devil of this town spoke of." Fenrir murmured in his head, "SHIELD could easily see us from here."

Loki nodded. It was probably a good idea after all there was no point going to all this trouble only to get caught again out of carelessness. That wouldn't do at all. It would just be embarrassing.

He wrapped his arms around the back of the wolf's neck and used it to pull himself up. His legs wobbled as he heaved himself up and rested himself on his own feet. The wound may have been healed but he was still lacking a lot of blood. It made his head spin from the effort of standing up and taking his full weight.

That damn Barton and his annoying accuracy. If he'd shot him clean he wouldn't have bled so much but no the bullet had slice up his leg making a jagged wound rather than a simple hole.

If Fenrir noticed Loki leaning against him as they walked he didn't comment on it, which Loki was glad for, he didn't want to talk about it.

The alley they walked down was dark, since there were no street lights. At one point he stumbled over a wonky paving stone that was out of line because he couldn't quite see it. He swore under his breath as he tripped but continued to walk along, leant partly on his son to take part of his weight off his feet.

Sure enough, the man had been telling the truth because at the end of the alley a rundown building slumped. The structure looked tired and as if it was falling apart.

As they stepped inside Loki found most of the long rectangle windows were either missing or cracked and so let a cool breeze flow in. The building seemed to be a factory that had long been abandoned. He could see evidence of squatters; old fires long gone cold, rubbish and used needles.

This would be a good place to spend the night. SHIELD wouldn't suspect that he would spend a night in a place like this. There were 3 exits and also a way up to the roof so if SHEILD did show up he had a chance of getting away without being cornered.

He and Fenrir found a slightly sheltered spot to curl up in. It was a kind of alcove with old forgotten boxes and broken wooden boards stacked to one side, blocking whatever light remained from the outside.

He had slept in worse places so it didn't bother him. At least here it was just him and Fenrir. No SHIELD, no Asgard. None would expect he would be here.

He listened to Fenrir's breathing as they lay in the dark. His chest slowly rose and fell, the sound of his breathing rumbling through his chest. It was a comforting sound, though it was too fast for Fenrir to be asleep.

"I thought you were dead when I found you." Fenrir murmured into the silence.

Loki imagined if the words had been spoken aloud Fenrir's voice would have echoed off the high broken ceiling. It would have been gruff and sleepy against the grim peeling walls. However instead they vibrated through his mind.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." He replied, with a slight quirked eyebrow.

He rolled over, trying to get more comfortable on the rough floor. There were no blankets so he had to make do without.

"How did you even find?" Loki asked, "The plan had been to meet back at that dead couples flat, you couldn't have sniffed me out from there."

There was a pause and Loki watched as one green eye focused on him. The light was dim but the eye was clearly visible as dim light reflected off its glossy surface.

"I did go back." Fenrir explained, "I waited for a good hour. I didn't go after you since I didn't want to ruin any plan you had." Fenrir let out a little sigh, "But you see some elderly human came into the flat. I killed her but not before she screamed.."

Loki frowned, "Did others hear her?"

The wolf nodded a yes.

Loki swore a little, "that means we can't go back there then."

"Where can we go then?"

"Well we could.." Loki paused, damn, where could they go?. "I'm not sure." He pulsed his lips a little, "I suppose we'll work it out in the morning."

"Good idea." Fenrir agreed.

Loki settled down again and closed his eyes. The building was a little airy but leaning against Fenrir solved any heat problems. He was like a heater. Fenrir shuffled a little, curling partly around him. He was huge so if he were to roll over Fenrir would probably crush him.

Loki wasn't sure how many minutes past before Fenrir spoke again. It could have been 3 minutes or 20.

"Do you know any magic users here?" Fenrir asked suddenly.

"No." Loki said, slowly opening his eyes, his head still ached, "Not in America but I know of some in other countries and of course on other realms."

Fenrir didn't say anything more.

"Why?" Loki questioned.

"It's just.. The spell that Frigga placed on me to block most of my magic, I think it could be easily broken by someone with simple magic."

Loki glanced at him. His mother had probably placed a simple block on Fenrir to stop him from being a danger to Midgardians until he found Loki and brought him back. It probably wasn't supposed to hold this long. It could be something he would be able to easily break if he still had magic. He wished he could help. He could have removed it by now if his magic remained.

"If i could get the block removed," Fenrir continued, "then I could return to a more appropriate size, maybe even a humanoid shape."

Loki noticed bitterness in his tone.

"Do you wish you could go back to your real size right now?" Loki questioned.

He remembered a time when Fenrir was in his real form, he was actually twice the size he was now. He was huge compared to all the animals Loki had witnessed on this Realm. He was a creature to be marvelled.

"No," Fenrir said turning his gaze on Loki. His eyes had turned hard and serious, "I would be noticed on this realm if I was to return to my real shape. I'd be better as a 'normal' size or shape."

"Normal?" Loki asked.

There was wrong something about the way Fenrir had said it.

"Yeah. Normal, like you. Not like this." He replied gesturing with his paws. His muzzle twisted in disgust.

Loki sat up, "Where is this coming from?" Loki asked.

Fenrir sounded disgusted.

"Does it matter?" Fenrir snapped. "It's what people think of me. A villainous wolf fathered by an Æsir."

"Yes it matters, they're lying to you." Loki insisted, feeling a little sick, "You're how you are. There's nothing wrong with you."

"Really?" Fenrir replied coldly, hunching his shoulders. "If that was the case I wouldn't have been chained up, I wouldn't have been silenced with a sword through my mouth."

The last part was a little shaky. The wolf left out a huff and let his head fall onto his paws.

"There is nothing wrong with you." Loki insisted.

"Right." The wolf muttered.

"Whatever anyone has told you.. They're wrong." Loki said, swallowing a little, "You're a child of two shape-shifters, that is all. Your form is more powerful than any of the people in Asgard. It's something to be proud of." He paused, "No good will come of denying who you really are." The words tasted bitter to his tongue. A voice in the back of his mind was hissing at him but he ignored it. He tried not to remember when everything had changed for him, when he discovered who he really was, "Who you are is not a reason to imprison you. If anyone is to blame for what happened to you it is Odin, not your form. He is the one who condemned you for who you were. He is afraid of you." A grin fell across his face and he punctuated the repeated words. "He is Afraid. Of. You."

Loki looked at him, "Now that is something to be proud of, right?" Loki said. "The All-Father is afraid of You."

Fenrir huffed, his face lighting up a little though he tried to hide it.

"He better be afraid," He heard Fenrir murmur, "He'll get what's coming."

Loki could see a dark look in Fenrir's eyes and he knew that his Mother may regret releasing his son.

They settled into a comfortable silence. They had never needed to fill every moment with endless prattle like some did. There was never awkwardness on the quiet moments they shared. Even after all this time some things never changed. They lay in the silence, neither speaking, bodies pressed together. They were just two outcasts. Outcasts plotting, planning with an understanding of promised protection.

At some point Loki woke up in the night not remembering dozing off but finding he had managed to wrap his arms around Fenrir's neck. His son's massive head was now laid on his stomach. The wolf's massive eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling slowly in his sleep, as Loki stroked him. He did it gently, with a slow rhythm, just like he had done when he was a little pup in his arms.

"We'll find a magic user soon," Loki promised as Fenrir slept on, "Then you can get all your magic back and you'll be able to be you again."

I won't let us be separated again, he thought but didn't say.

Tomorrow he would regain his strength and then he would work out where to go next. He had got what he had wanted from Stark's computers. Even at the cost of being stabbed, shot and captured. He had even got information, not much, but some on Thanos.

He swallows for a second.

No it had been worth it.

He was now one step closer to getting the sceptre. That sceptre was power.

His stomach twisted a little, he paused mid stroke, looking down at his son he thought he'd never see again. Would it be worth it?

Yes, if anyone came for his son this time he needed a way to protect him. The stone would also give him leverage.

He watched his son sleeping until his eyes grew heavy and he fell into a slumber he never thought he would ever achieve again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weird content of this chapter, sometimes i have zero control over what i write it just comes to me ^^; but hey have you read Norse mythology? Some weird shit.
> 
> I don't know if i portrayed parts of the flash back correctly since I've never experienced it myself. I ended up having to do a lot of research, it won't be complete accurate since Loki aren't human and I'm shit at writing some stuff.
> 
> Ignore the times i put they're not exactly accurate
> 
> some of the moves Loki used on Clint are real moves. Its all to do with pressure points, i spent a while watching a lot of videos on it haha. Did I mention that Clint is my little cinnamon roll?
> 
> Also yes there was a little cameo of a certain Netflix superhero hehehehe
> 
> Please let you know what you think ^^; hope you enjoyed, until next time.


	9. Bringing a Knife to a Gun Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* : Contains depictions of torture, gore and violence that may be upsetting to some readers

 

"I'm fine." Clint grunted, crossing his arms.  
  
Clint must have been muttering and complaining like that for the past half hour, not that Tony had really been timing. Tony was perched on the edge of a table glancing every so often at Bruce poking and prodding at the disgruntled agent. Clint looked fine to him but he decided not to comment anymore than he had. Bruce had really not appreciated it and had nearly kicked him out, despite this place belonging to him. Bruce was currently shinning a light into Clint's eyes to 'check for a concussion' that Tony really didn't think Clint had.  
  
Apparently a SHIELD agent had found Clint passed out in the back entrance way. Clint had muttered an explanation of trying to stop Loki escaping. He wouldn't tell them exactly what had gone down just that he had shot Loki in the leg and Loki had managed to knock him out (Tony was sure he had used super ninja skills and they had duelled to the death or something).  
  
Tony watched Bruce examine Clint. He looked even wearier than before, not that he could blame him. Bruce had pretty much nearly died, courtesy of Loki. Fuck, if he ever saw that Norse dickhead again he would choke him. Not only had Loki managed to slip confinement minutes before SHIELD had turned up to ship him off but he had set his living room on fire.

Who does that?

Loki really was a bag of cats. To be honest that wasn't what pissed him off. He had plenty of money to redo the living room and the other rooms that had been burnt in the blaze and really, they needed a refurbish. No, what really got him was the fact Loki had nearly killed Bruce, presumably on purpose. Tony glanced at Bruce's forearm that was currently bandaged tightly up in white material. Since Bruce had been sleeping in the room over he had to fight his way out of the flames when the living room had went up, which had meant part of his arm had catch fire trying to get out. God bless his healing abilities otherwise Bruce might have been worse off.   
  
The door to their left creaked open pulling him from his thoughts. There in the doorway, with his fitted suit and his creepy robotic expression, was Coulson. Yup that lying faking bastard wasn't dead, not to say he wasn't glad he was alive, just Tony didn't like being lied to. Though from what Tony could remember he wasn't the one who had reacted the worst from finding out Coulson was still alive. That person will remain unnamed.  
  
Coulson drifted towards Tony, paying little attention to Clint and Bruce across the room.  
  
"Hey, Phil," Tony greeted him with fake cheer.  
  
"It's Coulson to you." Coulson replied with little force behind the words.   
  
Huh, Coulson must be slowly given up trying to correct him. That wasn't much fun.  
  
"What can I do for you?" Tony asked with a slight quirked eyebrow.  
  
"We've already got the information we need on the situation from Agent Romanoff," Coulson explained, his tone a bit stiffer than usual, which didn't surprise Tony since anything Loki related was sure to send the guy on edge, "But we need to know if you have any idea where Loki's current whereabouts are."  
  
Tony slid from the table onto his feet, frowning at the Agent.  
  
"How on earth would I know where Reindeer Games is?" He asked, folding his arms.  
  
Did they think he had helped Loki escape or something? He had made many mistakes over the years but he, generally, knew when not to over step the line. Aiding the escape of a psychopathic alien Viking was definitely crossing the line. They really needed to have some faith in him, he wasn't that stupid.  
  
"Romanoff had told me that you were the last person who spoke to him, correct?"  
  
"Yeah, I suppose, but that wasn't about where his next gig would be. I'm on team good guys remember?" Tony huffed.  
  
"Right." Coulson said simply, "If your answer changes you know how to contact us."  
  
He turned to leave but Tony piped up, "Does this mean you're done now? Please say yes, I'm already sick of your goons poking around stuff that doesn't concern them."  
  
Coulson gave him an exasperated look before walking out. Tony caught him talking on his ear coms as he exited, "I want eyes everywhere, reports on any spikes in unusual energy signatures and the serial numbers of Loki's gun tracked immediately back to.."  
  
His voice faded off down the corridor.  
  
"You made him pull a facial expression," Clint remarked from where he was sat.  
  
"I know," Tony said with a smirk, "I thought he was a robot or one of those creepy Agent Smiths from The Matrix."  
  
Clint grinned a little, "Seems that he isn't."  
  
"Well I think you're fine." Bruce sighed, cutting into their conversation, "Just try not to let anyone knock you out any time soon and take it easy for once."  
  
Clint slipped off the chair with a slight pout.  
  
"Can't believe Loki knocked you out." Tony sniggered, "You must be out of shape."  
  
Clint flipped him off with a glare before disappearing out the door.   
  
Bruce rolled his eyes, "Tony." He chided.  
  
"What?" Tony asked innocently, "I was just surprised Loki got the better of him with his bare hands rather than any voodoo."  
  
"I don't think its called voodoo," Bruce sighed, leaning against a cabinet filled with enough medicine bottles to OD a primary school of kids, "but you're right, it is surprising. I didn't think Loki was one to get his hands dirty."  
  
Tony shrugged, "Who knows what goes through his head?"  
  
Bruce grumbled in agreement before saying, "I just hope SHIELD find him before he tries to blow up New York again. Clint did manage shoot him so that might have slowed him down."  
  
Tony shook his head, "Probably not, Godly healing remember?"  
  
Bruce frowned, his face twisting in worry.  
  
"I'm sure he'll turn up eventually, there are plenty of people in SHIELD that aren't happy with Rudolf after what he did last time he was on Earth." Tony reminded him.  
  
"Good point."  
  
\---

Loki stood outside the building, his hood pulled up and his head ducked down. The hood and his hair, falling into his eyes, shadowed his face from the light as Loki glanced at the door in front of him. It might have once been black but now it was a dirty dark grey with small sections of its paint peeling back like dry skin to reveal the fragile wood underneath.  
  
The light of the afternoon made Loki squint his eyes. The sun was high signalling it was midday as it glared down aggressive through the vacant corn-blue sky. The sky in Midgard was something Loki assumed he would never grow used to, no matter how long he stayed. The light the sun let off was intense enough to make any shiny surface too hot to touch and if it was in the right spot it would be impossible to look at because of the harsh white reflection.   
  
Somehow the building in front of him still looked grim and dark in the sunny setting. Its shabby exterior kept the wrong people away but sadly gave it the feeling of falling apart. Loki had found it had a homely worn feeling to it after staying there for so long enough or maybe he was just growing used to a circumstance.   
  
This had to be one of the only places he could go. His old flat and the one he had killed for were not an option anymore. Loki could just get another place but that could easily alert SHIELD to where he was. He wasn't sure who was watching and how. He couldn't risk getting caught.  
  
He and Fenrir had gone through the underground to get here. They couldn't risk taking backstreets since Fenrir was too much of a giveaway so they'd taken to going through the sewers. Loki had spent much time in here when he had first arrived in Midgard, so he knew his way around quite easily even with his eyes shut. The smell was something Loki would never get used to, it was almost unbearable at times. Back in the beginning the dark and coolness of this place was something he had enjoyed; the silence from the buzzing voices of the mortals was one of the reasons he had wander around here. He would often just wander aimlessly lost in thought. Making his way through the sewer with an actual location in mind was something new.  There was no guarantee they would be able to stay in this building but it was one of their last options.  
  
Loki looked down at himself. His jeans were badly scuffed with part of one leg sliced up from where he had cut it to get the bullet out. The material around it was rough, stiff and a slightly darker shade from the dried blood. It was a good thing they were black otherwise it would have been obvious as to what it was. He still had his boots from Asgard. They were the only pieces of clothing he hadn't thrown away. They were just so much more practical and long wearing than its Midgardian counterparts. His grey hoodie was a little wrinkled with one arm covered in a reddish brown stain, a reminder of Romanoff. Loki had looked better.   
  
He had told Fenrir to wait around the corner while he talked. Nothing scared people off more than a wolf, a double sized one would send most running for the hills.  
  
Loki glanced around before stepping forward to the door and knocking loudly. It was the back door to the place so he might not be heard. Loki didn't want to risk going around the front in the middle of the day.  
  
A couple of seconds later Loki heard a shuffling and then the clink of the door unlocking. When the door opened the first thing he saw was the butt of a gun being thrust into the air. The next thing he saw was a short snarling man standing in the light, growling something Loki didn't quite catch.  
  
Loki almost sighed, not fazed by the weapon, and slowly pushed his hood back letting his face bathe in the warm afternoon light.   
  
The gun was slowly lowered, "Luke." Eric sighed, "You should have used the front door. No one up to any good uses the back of this place."  
  
Loki shrugged with a slight smirk, "Why would I do that? Its fun watching you squirm, Eric."  
  
The man rolled his eyes, slipping his gun into the back of his jean, and pushed his hair back. His brown hair shone a blonde colour in the sunlight as it was tucked back. He looked a lot less tense now, not that Loki was surprised, Eric could be quite paranoid.  
  
"I could have shot you in the face." Eric said. He pulsed his lips slightly as he eyed the damage to Loki's clothing, "I take it everything didn't go to plan?"  
  
Loki shook his head, "I need a place to stay for a day or two." He declared.  
  
Eric quirked an eyebrow, "What happened to your flat?"  
  
"It might be under surveillance." Loki replied.  
  
"What did you do?" Eric asked, his eyebrows shooting up like his voice, "are the CIA after you?"   
  
There was a slight amused spark in Eric's eye.  
  
"I got the information I needed, it was just the getting back out that was the problem." Loki said, "Now are you going to let me stay or not?" He snapped, eyeing his surroundings.  
  
Loki may be at the back of the shop but it was still too much in the open for his liking  
  
Eric rolled his eyes with a slight smirk, "Of course you can."  
  
He stepped back from the door to allow Loki to slid in.   
  
"You didn't even need to ask." Eric continued patting his shoulder. The hard pat caused Loki to grunt under the force of it; it was like being patted by Thor. "Your old room is still upstairs, you can stay as long as you need." Eric explained, before grinning at him, "Just include me in all the fun next time, eh? Hacking is way more fun when you have a partner."  
  
"Right." Loki muttered.  
  
Eric sighed dramatically, waving his arms, "Do you ever smile?"  
  
Loki shot him a dark look, causing Eric grin at him playfully.  Loki sighed, Eric was insufferable sometimes but it was a small price to pay for his kindness.  
  
"Do you mind if my.. dog stays too?" Loki enquired carefully.  
  
Eric frowned at him for a couple of seconds, "I didn't know you were a dog person." He paused, with continuing, "Or that you even had a dog.  
  
"Well I _am_." Loki said shortly, "and I _do_."  
  
"Sure." Eric said, fiddling with a pen he had suddenly seemed to have acquired, "If it shits anywhere I'm throwing you out to the FEDs." He threatened with a wide grin.  
  
"He's well trained." Loki assured him.  
  
"He better be." Eric replied with fake sincerity.  
  
There was a sudden jingle and Eric perked up, "Customer," he grinned, bouncing on the spot like a Collie, "You get settled in and I'll see you in a bit."  
  
"Thanks." Loki said to the back of the retreating man hurrying around the corner.  
  
Eric was an odd one. He was all jumpy and pleasant most of the time. Note the - most of the time.  
  
Loki leant back out the door and quietly called his son's name.  
  
There was an instant rustling and Fenrir appeared, padding towards him. His tongue was hanging out slightly as his tail shifted from side to side as he walked up to him. Loki stepped back allowing Fenrir through before closing the door and replacing the bolt.  
  
Fenrir brushed against his side as he quickly went up the stairs. He could hear the faint murmuring of Eric and what sounded like a woman coming from the shop as he climbed the stairs. The sound faded away as he reached the landing.  The hall was narrow and Loki noted the faint grumbling of the wolf behind him as he wandered to a door near the end. He pushed open the door that led to his room and was glad to see it was as he left it. A double bed was set in the middle and the wardrobe was still in the corner. The walls were still a bland off-white and the window to his left still had half rotten frames ready to fall off.   
  
He smiled ever so faint, happy to see everything was how it was and enjoyed the feeling of returning home. His flat hadn't been a home. It had been empty of character, of people.  
  
He placed his rucksack in the corner, before settling on the bed where he could observe Fenrir exploring the room with his nose to the unpolished, scratched, wooden flooring. Fenrir eventually seemed satisfied with the room and settled by the door, as if he was on guard.  
  
Loki leant over the edge of the bed and slid out a bundle from under the bed. Fenrir watched from the corner his green eyes glowing in the light. Loki emptied the contents onto the bed. A slim laptop slid out a long with a small bag of stones and a knife.  
  
"Interesting collection." Fenrir commented from the corner.   
  
Loki shrugged, not really answering, as he booted up the computer and laid out on the bed, sprawled out on his stomach waiting for it to load.  
  
"What are you doing?" Fenrir hummed.  
  
Google loaded up on the screen and he started typing, "I'm working out where we should go once we leave here." He explained, "I got three possible location of the sceptre from Starks computer but I don't know which location is the correct one. They were yet to check. All the locations are HYDRA bases since apparently they were able to swipe the sceptre from right under SHEILD's nose,"  
  
"I see," Fenrir said, his ears twitching "What are the locations of the bases?"  
  
"There's one in Nigeria, one in Latvia and another in Sokovia.  
  
Fenrir seemed to frown, "Where exactly are they?"  
  
Loki scoffed, "That's why I'm using the Internet."  
  
He knew Midgard relatively well but every time he returned names of places seemed to change or move, everything looked completely different, and everyone who had once been there were dead.  
  
He tilted the screen around to show Fenrir the highlighted countries.  
  
"They are far away." Fenrir murmured.  
  
Loki nodded with a sigh, "I know, it's going to be hard to get to them."  
  
"Because of me?"

  
"Yes." He admitted, "We can't really board a plane or a ship without drawing attention to ourselves."  
  
"How do you plan to get us there?" Fenrir asked with a frown.  
  
"There are a couple of pathways I know of. It will be easy to get to Sokovia since there's a route in one of the underground tunnels that leads into woodland not far from the HYDRA base. There's a place I know of that we can stay the night."  
  
"Then maybe we should try that Sokovia first." Fenrir suggested, "We have a one in three chance of getting the right one."  
  
"I suppose.." Loki said reluctantly.   
  
Fenrir nodded as if acknowledging Loki's unwillingness to chose a place at random without any real reason behind it.  
  
"I just thought," Fenrir started, lifting his large head, "We should get out of the country as soon as possible since you're probably be hunted for here."  
  
Loki sat up, "I suppose you're right."  
  
Loki glanced up at the door creaked open. The next thing he knew was there was a yelp like whine and then an unmanly squeal.  
  
Eric jumped back, his eyes wide like a fish. Eric had walked in not realising Fenrir had been by the door and had stepped on his tail causing Fenrir to rear up.  
  
Eric stumbled back away from the annoyed wolf towering over him.   
  
"LUKE!" Eric screeched, "THAT IS NOT A DOG!" His arms flailed all over the place.   
  
Loki rubbed his ears a little, at the sound, pulsing his lips, "He technically is." He replied.  
  
Fenrir eyed the brown-haired shouting man with mild curiosity but with general distain and annoyance since he had stepped on him.  
  
"Don't be a fucking smartass, Luke!" Eric retorted, staring at the gigantic wolf watching him.   
  
"He is related to dogs technically." Loki smirked.  
  
Fenrir titled his head to the side at him which he could only assume was Fenrir trying to avoid correcting him about the fact he _really_ wasn't related to any sort of canine.  
  
Eric glares a little, "Luke this isn't funny."  
  
Loki smirked more, "You should have heard your squeal."  
  
Eric glared more, "This isn't like the time you snuck five cats into your room even though you knew I was allergic! That.." He waved his finger at Fenrir who's eyes followed it from side to side, his body slightly poised if he was going to bite it, "That is not a dog."  
  
Loki gave him a bemused look before looking more innocent, "Those five creatures, you speak of, were poor orphans in need of a home."  
  
Eric snorted, despite himself, "Yeah right, you only did it to annoy me."  
  
"It worked." Loki admitted, "In fact you squealed a lot louder when one of them pounced on your leg from under the bed."  
  
Eric glared at him but the fire in his eyes had worn off.   
  
"You're not allergic to dogs." Loki pointed out.   
  
"That's not the point." Eric snapped, "This is a matter of not being eaten in my sleep! Hell, where did you even get it from?"  
  
Loki shrugged not answering his last question, "He won't eat you he's well trained."  
  
Fenrir shot him a look for a second.  Eric glanced at the wolf warily now getting big green puppy eyes in return.   
  
"He's big enough to eat me." Eric muttered.  
  
"He won't," Loki assured him, "He doesn't bites."  
  
"You can't tell me that is a dog." Eric insisted, eyeing Fenrir, "It's massive!"  
  
"It's just a rare breed." Loki lied, "An expensive one."  
  
Eric gave him a look of 'you're bullshitting me'.   
  
He cleared his throat, "What's it's name?" He asked slowly.  
  
"Fenrir."

  
"Of course it is." Eric sighed, "It couldn't be something like Lucky."  
  
"Can he stay then?" Loki asked, his eyes round, "No shelter would take him."  
  
The man eyed the wolf for a couple of seconds shifting uncomfortably. Fenrir was now lying on his stomach, his tongue dangling out and panting. Sat down he looked a lot smaller and he wore the expression of a very happy dog. His whole posture was relaxed, and non-threatening, which Loki could only assume was deliberate.  
  
Eric sighed. "I suppose." He said in defeat, "You'll just sneak it back in when I'm not looking."  
  
Loki grinned and Fenrir's tail thumped against the ground.  
  
"If you want him to stay you'll need to help me with a shipment that's come in." Eric told him.   
  
Loki stood, "Fair enough." He shrugged.   
  
He gestured at Fenrir to stay where he was before following Eric down the stairs. He could hear Eric muttering about how he hadn't squealed at all which made Loki snigger. That of course had lead to him getting a hit around the head. It was a friendly one and he couldn't help smirking at Eric's annoyed expression.  
  
The shipment had ended up being box of different guns and weapons. Eric had dragged the shipment into the back room, where most of weapons hung on walls, before leaving him to it to return to the front of the store.  
  
It was a simple task Loki had been left with. He just had to add each new item to the directory list, check them over for damage before moving them to their correct new home. It was a task he had done many times when he had lived here as a way of keeping his keep. After all Eric wasn't a totally charitable man. Loki had also spent some time behind the counter or sorting the displays but this was a favourite job of his. It was methodical and didn't take much thought. It allowed him to simply fall into the swing of unpacking items from the boxes, marking them down and then placing them in draws without any real thought.   
  
His mind fell back to the hilarious scene from 10 minutes earlier of Eric squealing at Fenrir before shouting at him angrily. The squeal had been so girl like, which was a complete contradiction of the bulky form of the short man. It had been so hard not to simply burst out laughing, which was something he hadn't done in a while.  
  
Laughing aside, the fact Eric had let Fenrir stay showed a level of trust Eric seemed to have developed for him. It was a trust that he had earned, he had saved Eric's skin many times so for whatever reason Eric now trusted him enough to go against his better judgement, though if trusting Loki was anything to go by he didn't have much judgement. Either way Loki was just glad he and Fenrir had somewhere to stay for the night before they set off. He may not have seemed it to the others around him but in reality he was still feeling weak from the amount of blood he had lost the day before. To simply rest for another day before setting off would make miles of difference and give him chance to heal. He still needed to change into fresh clothes. These tattered clothes were just too much of a reminder of what had transpired.  
  
He fell into a simple rhythm of silent of ticking off items, setting them in their correct place, and then moving onto the next. Loki was ticking off one of the last guns when he heard a crash. Loki looked up from what he was doing to hear the sound of shouting, one of them possible Eric, coming from the shop.  
  
Loki kept hold of the gun he was going to box and shot through the doorway. He could hear more shouting as he slipped down the long corridor to the shop.  
  
When he got through the entrance way to the front of the shop he was met with the sight of shattered glass. One of the cabinets was completely broken, the glass sped out across the floor, some of the jewellery scattered among the mess. Papers that had been on the front desk were splayed on the floor and another cabinet's glass was cracked but hadn't shattered. For some reason the sight set his teeth on edge making him clench his jaw tightly.   
  
The likely culprit of the mess was a tall, lanky looking man with a mop of scruffy, dirty brown hair like a terrier. Tattoos covered his whole left and disappeared up his sleeve. They were a random mess of black lines that a lot of Midgardian men seemed to have. They reminded him of tribal tattoos that Midgardian's used to cover their bodies in.  
  
The man was stood in front of the counter, holding a gun to Eric's head, his lips curled into a snarl. Loki could see Eric's hand creeping to the spot where he kept his shotgun but his hand was frozen, now that the gun was pointed at him. From this angle Loki could see Eric's face was tense, possible hiding a furious expression.   
  
The sight of the gun to Eric's temple made Loki's hand tighten on the gun handle to the point of his knuckles turning a pale white.  
  
The man caught sight of Loki and scowled at him. "Who the fuck are you?"  
  
The gun was pressed harder against Eric's temple. Eric didn't wince, but instead simply pulsed his lips faintly.  
  
He ignored the question, "Remove that gun from Eric's head." Loki ordered coldly.  
  
The man glared at him, "No. You put your gun down or I'll blow his fucking brains against this wall." He spat.  
  
Loki caught a slightly worried look from Eric telling him to get out of here. If he had spoken Loki assumed Eric would have told him not to fight his fights for him. He wanted to roll his eyes at him.  
  
"Put the gun down!" The man demanded angrily, his trigger finger twitching.  
  
Loki raised an eyebrow slightly before slowly letting the gun fall from his slackened hand.  
  
The man's eyes flickered to the ground where the gun hit it heavily and slid a couple of centimetres before stopping. His eyes left Loki for one second and that was all he needed.   Loki gripped the counter and propelled himself up and over it in a half back flip. His body powerfully twisted through the air with great precision, like he himself was a weapon.  His feet struck the man solidly in the face, with a satisfying crunch.  
  
A loud bang went off from the gun as the man toppled to the ground, his head cracking against the hard flooring. Fortunately his bullet ricocheted off the ceiling flying off into an unknown direction. Loki heard a thump which could only be Eric ducking under the counter to hopefully avoid it.   
  
Loki landed with his feet either side of the man's head, his knees slightly bent to brace him. In one fluid motion he gripped a handful hair and dragged the man's whole body up by it, his feet almost dangling off the ground. Some of his hair was ripped out of its roots under the weight and pressure.  Loki wrapped his arm around the man's neck into a firm headlock, forcing a knife under his throat. The struggling man tried to aim his gun at him but before he could shoot Loki tightly trapped his wrist in his free hand. Loki twisted the hand in the opposite direction until he heard and felt a loud crunch. The man cried out as his wrist went limp and the gun tumbled to the ground from his twisted hand.   
  
Loki pressed the knife into his throat deep enough for blood to start running down the man's skin. The blood was thick and deep red against his pale, freckled skin leaving a damp tear-like trail were it had dripped.  The man was panting with a pained expression, trying to squirm his way out of his grip, even though Loki held him still with little effort. The tall man wasn't really as strong as he had first looked. Loki noticed with delight that the man's nose was at an odd distorted angle. Blood from his presumably broken nose was trickling past his cheek, that was already beginning to show a large bruise.  
  
His face twisted, his bloody lips curling, "I'm going-"  
  
Loki pressed the knife in deeper cutting off whatever threat the man was going to say. Blood bled from the wound, settling on his collar bone.  
  
"This is what you're going to do," Loki told him without a hint of emotion, "You're going to walk out of that door and never come back." He pressed the knife in deeper earning a grunt, "And if you do come back I will slice your spine from your body and strangle you with it, understand?" He told him with a crooked grin.  
  
The man nodded a little, his eyes shining in the light. Loki waited a moment before letting go and kicking the man in the back so he stumbled towards the door. The man turned his fists balled but he caught sight of Eric with his shotgun behind the counter and Loki with a knife he was ready to throw, wearing a particularly feral expression.  
  
The man probably would never admit it but he fled, cradling his broken hand and ignoring the blood running from his bust nose and his sliced neck. The door slammed shut behind him, causing the frame to shake and the irritating little bell to jingle in its hold. One of these days Loki was just going to rip that stupid cheerful bell from the door and shove it down someone's throat. It had zero purpose apart from infuriating him.  
  
He could hear Eric muttering to himself as Eric pulled himself upright.  
  
Loki slipped the knife back up his sleeve turning to Eric, "What was all that about?" He asked.  
  
There was a short pause as Eric pinched the bridge of his nose with a sour expression.  
He glanced back up, "Drugs." Eric said simply as if that explained everything, "You didn't need to help."  
  
"What? Because you had it under control?" Loki said with a quirked eyebrow.  Loki didn't bothering to ask him further about the man and drugs. It was either a truth he didn't fully understand or a lie that was none of his business. However if that man showed up again he really would kill him, like he had wanted to, but had managed to refrain from doing so.  
  
Eric huffed and then shrugged, "I don't like people fighting my fights for me."  
  
"Would you have rather I let him kill you?"  
  
Eric paused, biting his lip.  
  
"No." Eric admitted, "Though, Luke, you really shouldn't have pulled a stunt like that, he could have easily shot you. You're lucky he missed."  
  
Loki's lips curled faintly. As if he would have been able to shoot him.   
  
Eric rolled his eyes and then looked at the mess. Loki looked down at it too, there was now blood amongst the shards of glass and scattered jewellery.   
  
"Do you need help cleaning this up?"  
  
Eric shook his head, "I'll do it in the morning." He sighed as he moved to the door flipping the sign over and locking the door, setting all the bolts.  
  
"I think I'll close early." Eric decided, crossing the room.   
  
Loki turned to go back to the backroom but Eric gripped onto his shoulder stopping him. Loki wanted to squirm from his grasp not liking the feeling of someone's hand on him but he managed to remain still. He scolded himself for his silliness.   
  
"You hungry?" Eric asked, "I think I've got some Chinese leftovers."  
  
"I'm okay," Loki said, shaking his hand off him. Nearly sighing as he was freed.  
  
Eric frowned, "When was the last time you ate?"  
  
Loki paused; he hadn't eaten at all today or the day before. When was the last time he'd eaten?  
  
He shrugged.   
  
Eric sighed, "I swear you hardly eat," He poked Loki's ribs earning him a glare, "You're too skinny. Come on," he said gesturing to the stairs, "if you don't eat I'll keep pestering you until you do."   
  
Loki gave him a sullen expression but allowed Eric to drag him upstairs.  
  
As it turned out he quiet enjoyed the food. Loki was hungrier than he had thought he was.   
  
They sat in his tiny living room in front of the TV, food balanced on their knees, Fenrir laid across the carpet chewing at some leftover chicken. Eric had still been a bit iffy with Fenrir but after a while he seemed to relax, growing used to the large dog. Especially when Fenrir had rested his head on Eric's lap insisting on a head rub with his huge pleading eyes. After that Eric seemed to even start to like him.  
  
While they ate Eric put on some show he claimed was a Game about Thrones. As usual Eric made him watch it in the middle of a season since he refused to rewatch episodes. This meant Loki had no clue what was going on but he didn't mind. He enjoyed watching their sword and riding techniques and rolling his eyes every so often.  
  
It was late; the food long gone, when Eric got up and came back into the room with something he called _Weed_. Eric offered him some but Loki declined, quite happy to sit, slowly stroking Fenrir's head, whilst Eric sat smoking. Loki quite enjoyed sitting in quiet company, none of them feeling the need to fill it with endless prattle.   
  
Eventually Loki decided to call it a night and left Eric. Eric didn't even respond when he said his goodbyes, he just stared into space smoking. The fumes from the drug ghosted through the air around him. Loki hadn't seen or smelt a drug like that on Asgard but over the past months he'd spent on Midgard sleeping in odd places he had grown used to people trying to sell an array of substances. He'd never said yes, he could never be sure what effect they'd have on him.  
  
In his room Loki settled into his bed with Fenrir lying across his feet. Fenrir was like a warm blanket, though a bit heavy.  Loki had the gems, he had stored in the room, spread across the bed. Loki held one of the smaller ones in his palm, gently running his thumb along his smooth surface.   
  
"Tell me a story." Fenrir murmured into the silence.  
  
Loki snorted, "You're not a child anymore."  
  
Fenrir shot him an annoyed look, "Not _that_ sort of story."  
  
"What type then?" Loki asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to hide a bemused look.  
  
"Like.. One of those Sagas you used to tell."  
  
Loki kept his eyebrow quirked.  
  
"You used to tell tales of old battles and heroic adventures. They'd come alive when you'd tell such sagas by a fire."  
  
Loki flipped the stone between his fingers thoughtfully. One of the only times people listened to him was when he recited a tale or legend. Loki would stir grown men into a fascinated silence with his story telling. They would tell him he had acquired the gift from his Mother and Loki was inclined to agree.   
  
That was a long time ago though. He hadn't told a long saga for centuries. He had enjoyed it; it wasn't too different from magic. Unlike what people thought you didn't spin stories or magic from nothing after all no energy can be made or destroyed, only converted into something else.  
  
"What sort of tale did you have in mind?" Loki asked, choosing to humour him.  
  
"I heard rumours of Thor's fall to Earth. That must be some story."   
  
Loki stiffened, looking down at the small rock in his hand.  

"The story of your fall?"  
  
Loki shook his head, "It's too long of a story."  
  
"We've got plenty of time." Fenrir said, looking at him eagerly.  His ears were perked up and his eyes trained on him. Fenrir caught his expression and deflating slightly. "Some other time then." He muttered.  
  
Loki nodded a little, concentrating on stones texture. He didn't know if he would ever tell Fenrir. Loki hadn't told anyone the whole story, not that it mattered. It wouldn't change what he had done.  
  
"Can you tell me a story about my siblings?" Fenrir asked softly after a couple of minutes, "I've never met them, I've always wondered what they were like."  
  
Loki glanced up at Fenrir, "You've technically met one of them."   
  
"I have?" Fenrir asked perking up.  
  
Loki nodded and stared mutely at the stones in his hands. The stone was cold in his hand but Loki wasn't thinking of that; instead Loki was thinking back into the past, grasping at memories he thought he had buried away.  
  
\---  
  
712 AD - Two Days Later  
  
The first thing that hit Loki about the place was the sheer temperature. The place was freezing. It was the type of icy chill that was so thick it was almost solid in the air around him, so cold in fact that it seemed to have a life of its own. The cold seeped under his thin clothing making him shiver. As he breathed it in, it stung his nose and left an unpleasant bitter taste inside his throat.  Loki wrapped his cloak around himself tightly, in a fruitless attempt to preserve heat. Loki encircled himself with some magic to heat himself up. He didn't use too much in case it was noticeable. Loki used just enough so that his fingers didn't go numb and it would avoid shivering that would give himself away.  
  
It wasn't like Loki hadn't expected the Underworld to be cold. After all he had heard stories about it since the moment he could walk. He remembered how they had told him that this place was so cold that the moment a living person entered they would freeze into a cocoon of ice, which evidently wasn't the case. Though he could understand why it had been exaggerated in such a way. If he hadn't been Æsir, and so durable, Loki would probably have, ironically, died from the drastic temperatures.   
  
It would only be centuries later that it would be odd that the Land of the Dead was cold. When the Christians of Midgard came on their horses spreading their beliefs and teaching people of the fiery Hell that awaited them, only then would this situation be odd. They would chop down Thor's Tree and convert all of the Nordic followers until everyone forgot the truth of Hell. This version of Hell would be completely different to what they believed in. Just showed where faith got people.  
  
The second thing that hit Loki about the place was the rock. Thick, rock rose up all around him from as far as he could see in the dim light. The floor was uneven, hard, grey stone and the walls around were bent and twisted rock covered in a layer of ice. High above him were long stalactites and icicles which hung precariously from the rocky ceiling. It was as if Loki was in some sort of cave or chasm but it was much larger and colder than any cave Loki had been in before.  
  
Loki wore the form of an aged woman. Wisps of grey hair fell across his sunken face. A long cloak was pulled over his crooked form, obscuring his face in its darkness. The only real warmth Loki felt came from his chest where he had made a sling like contraption out of material to hold his tiny wolf cubs under his cloak. His tiny cub, Fenrir, was fast asleep snuggled up to his unmoving sister, Aumak. He walked hunched to help hide the little pups sleeping forms.  
  
As Loki shuffled forward along the icy stone he listened to the sounds of others. The people, if he could call them people, murmured and moaned as they moved forward. Their skin was unnaturally pale almost like porcelain, their eyes unfocused, and their lips forming names and the odd word. These were the Dead, all moving as a crowd, unaware of the one living being among them. Most seemed to have no idea where they were, still confused after the death, or simply searching for a loved one they would probably not find.   
  
Some of them Loki could tell how they had died. A couple of young dead men to his left had large gaping holes in their chest where their armour fell away around it in tatters. The wounds could only have been inflicted by a sword. Their reason for being here was unknown to him. Dying in battle was an honourable death worthy of Valhalla yet here they were.   
  
The Dead and Loki continued walking in the semi-darkness with the way lit by ghost fire from torches on the stone walls. Loki noticed one woman had a red mark around her neck that looked like an imprint of a rope. It was then when Loki stopped looking at the people around him. They weren't people, they were dead. No breath left them, no smile crossed their faces, they wore blank lifeless expressions.  
  
Loki was unsure of how long he had been walking, time worked differently here, and his feet began to ache. Actually his feet were in agony. He had barely stopped running over the past couple of days; this was probably the first time he had walked. Adding the energy he was using to keep himself warm and hold up the illusion of this female form made Loki wonder how he was even still moving. He should have collapsed from exertion. Either way Loki forced himself to keep moving, what else was there to do?  Eventually after a length of walking, something came into view.   
  
It was the sound that had drawn his attention back up. It was the sound of rushing water twisting and gushing past. When Loki looked up he saw a long, wide river up ahead. It sunk low into the rock flowing straight across their path and blocking it. The river wasn't the deepest or particularly widest river Loki had ever seen but that didn't make it any less impossible to swim or waddle across.  From this distance Loki could see that mixed in with the clear, frothy river was flickers of silver and gold, glinting and glimmering under its surface. As Loki followed the crowd of ghouls it became clear what was in the river. It was hundreds or even thousands of swords and knifes floating within the fast flowing waters. Some protruded from the rough riverbed where as others floated under or above the water. With the swords in the river it made it impossible to cross without being impaled or sliced by one of the many weapons rushing past in the surging water. Loki remembered reading about this river, it had to Gjöll. The river, Gjöll , was famed for its icy water and the weapons of the slain floating within it.  
  
The only way across Gjöll seemed to be a bridge. All of the Dead in front of Loki were pressed closer together as they all tried to mindlessly squeeze across the bridge. They didn't seem to mind or notice how close together they now were. The bridge was so narrow that it only allowed 5 abreast to cross at one time. The bridge shone brightly of gold, with high railings on either side twisted into intricate patterns that glittered and gleamed. This was the bridge Gjallarbrú, Loki told himself as he drew closer. This was the only way to enter the underworld from this direction.   
  
Loki ducked his head down, to hide his face, as he caught sight of the bridge's Guardian, Modgud. Her stance and demeanour reminded him greatly of Heimdall. Modgud stood tall in the centre of Gjallarbrú with a large silver sword resting between her thighs pointing down. Her eyes, like Heimdall were watching but at the same time not really seeing. Loki noticed one of her deep, dark red eyes was a milky white colour as if it was blind. He didn't remember that being in any of the stories.  
  
Modgud towered over most of the Dead, which was to be expected, since she was not Asgardian but Jötun. He was somewhat fascinated by the Beast. Her skin was a strange sapphire blue and she was covered head to toe in odd markings. The most prominent markings were on her face. They were odd light blue ridges that covered her forehead and cheek, like tribal tattoos. She had long black hair that was carefully braided to fall past her waist. Modgud wore only a loincloth with nothing to cover her breast. Loki could see that her markings even ran across her stomach, disappearing past her hip. She did have a small amount of armour where her heart would be, if such a creature had one. Loki noted the armour was made from the same metal of her sword. It was some part of silver, opaque metal that he had never seen in all the Realms, not even on Nidavellir.  
  
He had never seen a real Jötun before so Loki found it hard not to stare at the creature. She swore a blank but somewhat aggressive expression. They were savage barbaric creatures so Loki shouldn't have been surprised. Her skin was a darker colour than he expected. He found that looking at her was a bit like looking at a snake. They were immensely ugly creatures with unusual skin but there was something dangerously striking about them. Like the snake Modgud skin was exotic, interesting and stunning but she was inevitable dangerous.A monster.   
  
Loki kept his head down, blending in with the dead in his elderly woman disguise, as he stepped on to the bridge. Loki needn't worry too much. Modgud task as Guardian was less to stop people coming in and more to stop the Dead getting out. She didn't even move as he slipped past. Her eyes slowly shifted from left to right as she blankly watched the dead pass but her eyes never paused on any one individual. No one, par his Father, had ever been brave- or stupid - enough to enter the Land of Dead whilst still being alive so really Modgud wasn't worried about living people sneaking across the bridge.  
  
Even so Loki let out a quiet sigh as he stepped off the bridge without being stopped and disappeared around a rocky corner away from the ominous Guardian.  
  
The route now lead them to a tunnel, leaving the sound of water far behind. This rocky tunnel was smaller, only allowing for 3 abreast. It was also darker and the ice that covered the walls was thicker since the cold only seemed to be dropping more.  
  
Loki allowed his magic to unravel and his disguise to fall away with a weary sigh. Now Loki walked taller with his short black hair out of his eyes but still long enough that he could tuck it behind his ear. In this form Loki wore the bare minimum armour. It was light and protected his most vulnerable parts but wasn't as bulky as armour he would wear for going into battle. His sword hung in its sheath from his hip. It was heavy but comforting. Loki of course still had all his knifes in their usual places but there was something more soothing about having his sword. Loki had been unsure if he would ever see it again when he had left it in the snow two days ago.   
  
He still had the sling tied over his shoulder and wrapped around his stomach to hold and support his sleeping pups to his chest. Loki had one hand under the sling supporting them despite the sling's ability to hold them up without his help. He just enjoyed holding them close and glancing every so often at their sleeping forms. It had been so long since Fenrir had slept so peacefully. Ever since Fenrir had entered this world all his son had known was  the continuous motion of jolting up and down as they fled for their lives, the loud shouts of warriors in pursuit and the feel of thick blood on his fur.   
  
Loki finally understood why animals were so dangerous when they had young. Despite all the odds he had made it almost three days on the run, slaying anyone who tried to take his cubs. Back in that cave Loki had been sure he would die but somehow he had made it. Loki had crawled out of that cave and continued running. He had collapsed from exhaustion a couple of times, nearly freezing to death in the snow. Out of complete stubbornness he had kept going.   
  
His father... No, _Odin_ had continued to send dozens of men after him. Every time Loki had thought he had found a place to rest, men would smoke him out. If his magic hadn't have returned after the birth Loki would have certainly died. His magic had kept his heart from giving out, he was sure of it.  
  
Now here he was, walking down a tunnel surrounded by the Dead. This had be the one place they would never find him or his children. Loki no longer cared what happened to him, he just couldn't let anyone else cause any more suffering to the last of his children. In fact right now, Loki couldn't stop himself from glancing around, scanning every face, in the hopes of seeing his daughter. It made him feel sick that h- Odin would throw a living child down here. It was barbaric.  Loki just really wanted to spot that little face in this crowd. He wanted it so bad.  
  
The tunnel Loki followed eventually open up into a clearing. It was a large oblong like cavern wide enough to hold thousands. Ice dangled from the ceiling and crept along the uneven stone floor. The cave in front of him was like a pen however the animals penned in were not in fact animals but people.  As the Dead entered the cavern they came to a relative stop. They simply shuffled around the cave murmuring and calling out or just standing whilst staring vacantly as if they had no idea where they were.  Loki slowly made his way through cavern, being careful not to bump into any of the Dead. They weren't exactly corporeal so he couldn't stick a hand through them but they still reacted to physical stimulus. Even so there was still not quite right about them. It was almost eerie.  
  
At the end of the carven was a small entryway cut out of the rock. Loki ducked through it and down the small corridor it led to. Loki shivered a little at the cold breeze that brushed past him and held his pups closer to his chest.   
  
As Loki made his way down the corridor he picked up faint whimpering and hoarse screams to his right. He glanced through an entryway where the sound seemed to be coming from to see another carven. This one was very different from the carven of still lifeless Dead. This one was smaller but actually contained more people. They were all pressed uncomfortably together in the confined space.  Above the Dead slithering on the ceiling, draped around stalactites or icicles and hanging out of small holes were snakes. They were larger than any snake he had ever seen with the strangest colouring. Their eyes glinted silver, their whole length of their scales was the deep black apart from along their spine which instead shimmered red, gold and green. Loki would have said they were beautiful creatures if it were not for what they were doing. Their contorted mouths were open unnaturally wide, revealing their needle-like fangs. Venom was slowly dripping- no- pouring to the ground from their fangs. The moment their thick venom struck the pale Dead below their skin began bubbling and melting away. They screamed and writhed but they were unable to move away from the snakes because they were boxed in by equally pained flailing and thrashing people.  
  
Loki had to look away when he saw one person had lost their entire scalp and the acid like venom was slowly eating away at their skill to reveal the soft brain within. That person's eyes wild and mad looking. He didn't know how long that person had been there but he didn't want to guess.  
  
Loki continued moving along the corridor only briefly glancing in the rooms as he past. Most of the time he regretted it but occasionally he would spot a room like the first one; an eerie room of figures moving in and out of each other confused and lost. That one always seemed to be the nicer of the rooms.  
  
The further he got along the corridor the more tired he felt. He hadn't slept properly in so long. His legs shook a little under his weight and his feet were sore with every step. His breath was heavier than he would have liked. Maybe he could stop to rest in this corridor just for a moment.   
  
As Loki stepped forward around a corner his foot came into contact with something soft. The soft thing let out a long but loud pained yowl that echoed up and down the tunnel. Loki leapt back to spot the creature he had accidentally trodden on. The large creature rose to its feet snarling with malice. It was a large wolf with its rows of sharp dagger like teeth bared and gnashing. Its deep black eyes bore right into him. They were like pools of hot, thick tar staring right into his soul. The creature rose up to stand high past his waist with a huge hunched back, which he suspected the creature had curled to make itself appear larger. Loki noticed that, what could only be blood was matted in its grey fur and long muzzle.  
  
Loki swore under his breath, taking a step back. This was just his luck, he had stood on a Odöda-Vargr. it looked ready to rip him apart and drag him off to.. well, Hel. If Loki wasn't so drained and exhausted and didn't have his two pups on his chest, he would have drawn his sword to fight it off but he couldn't risk it. One wrong move and that creature could easily kill his cubs.   
  
Loki turned and ran before the enraged creature could throw itself at him. Loki knew he could kill it but he would just have to live with outrunning it. He could hear a deafening bellow from behind him followed by the thundering of feet. He scrambled across the icy ground and sprinted forward down the tunnel.   
  
Loki could hear the faint yelping of Fenrir coming from the sling, signalling he must have woken up, which only encouraged him to run faster. He wouldn't let it hurt his cub. He could feel his legs already being to burn from lactic acid as he raced along. His legs groaned and complained as he rushed down the corridor.  He couldn't run as fast as he normally could, the past couple of days had really worn down his strength. His lungs ached as he forced himself to speed on.  
  
When he skidded around the next corner he narrowly dodged another Odöda-Vargr who was somewhat larger and a lot angrier. Loki let out an irritated growl and threw himself over the Hel-beast and forward down the corridor.  He could hear two of them behind him now as he sprinted away. By the Norns Odöda-Vargr were fast. He could hear their powerful legs flying across the ground. Loki could even catch the sound of their claws scratching against the rock making tiny grating noises as they kept their balance. They panted hard but he could hear the growling and barking growing closer and closer. They were so close now. He could barely get enough air into his lungs. His body was under too much stress, he had exerted it too much.  
  
He turned another corner and felt his heart sink. In front of him was a large carven with a soaring roof, much higher than any other he had seen in this place. Huge ice pillars rose to the ceiling in a clear row leading up to an empty throne of black ice and rock, perhaps Hematite. More importantly than that was that there was no exit. It was a complete dead end.  
  
Loki fell to a stop in the centre of the room. He gasped for air, trying to catch his breath, to try and rid himself of the feeling of light headedness. When he turned around Loki caught sight of the large creatures barrelling out of the corridor towards him. He gritted his teeth and pulled his sword from its sheath, falling into a defensive stance. He kept his grip on the handle loose, despite how much he wanted to hold it tight to the point of his knuckles turning white but that was no way to handle a sword.   
  
He had only two seconds before the larger of the beasts was upon him. The creature leapt at him, its sharp claws spread and its mouth open wide so that its fangs were bared. Loki shifted his weight on the balls of his feet, drew his sword back, and swung. Just as the wolf came within striking distance his sword cut through the air and straight through the wolf's neck. The blade completely severed the head from the body and the snarling skull fell to the floor with a heavy thump. He had to dodge to the side as the headless body crashed through the air where he had once been before hitting the ground in a broken pile.  
  
The next one paused eyeing him up and down. Loki lifted his sword that was now covered in odd purple blood and took step forward. This wolf edged towards him, growling, before suddenly shooting forward with poised claws.  
  
Loki jerked back and wolf stuck empty air. It didn't have time to turn around before his sword sliced down through its spine and out through its stomach. He yanked it out and purple ooze splattered everywhere. The wolf gurgled before slumping to the ground dead.   
  
Loki sighed in relief, letting his sword rest against his thigh. That hadn't been so bad, he thought, turning away. Maybe he should have stayed to fight straight off instead of running. Either way they were dead, perhaps now he could rest here for a while.  Before he could think further he stiffened. Loki could hear something behind him. It was an odd squelching noise. He turned to see the headless wolf was no longer headless. Its head was knitting itself back on its neck. The skin was pulling itself together and healing without a mark.  
  
"Seriously?" Loki snapped.  
  
He tried to remember any stories about the Odöda-Vargr doing something like this but he couldn't recall any. No story said they could pull themselves back together but sure enough the second wolf's stomach was slowly sealing back up and its black eyes opening once again.  
  
How could he kill a creature that could put its own head back on? Loki could stab it all he wanted but it would just heal.  There had to be some sort of way...  
  
If he could kill them in such a manner that wouldn't allow them to pull themselves back together... something like...  
  
His eyes fell on one of the wooden touches on the wall containing the blue ghost fire. A grin fell across his face.. _of course_.   
  
He was able to evade the larger wolf who had tried to sneak up on him while he had stood thinking by dodging to the side. The wolf lunged but Loki twisted around a couple of the pillars making it hard to follow. By the time his hand fell around the wood of the touch containing ghost fire the other wolf had risen up.  
  
Loki summoned up the weak scraps of magic inside him, pulling at whatever remnants he could find. He focused it on a single point, whilst breathing heavily. The wolves were circling him any moment now they would attack. He took in a slow breath, trying to calm himself. The magic pulsed, pulling and tugging, trying to release itself. Loki held the wood tightly, staring at the blue flames flickering and dancing in its hold. Blood trickled from his nose as he pulled the magic in tight, coiling it inside with careful breaths. Just when the wolves became poised and tense he forced the magic out with one single breath. The ghost fire leapt from the wood into the open air. He flicked his wrists and the flames twisted and turned around both the wolves. Their fur instantly caught on fire as they yowled. Within moments the ghost fire engulfed them. Their fur bunt away in a blue fiery blaze, followed by their skin and then their-  
  
Loki glanced away. He could hear their howls ringing in his ears. He could hear the pain and agony as they flailed around in an attempt to put it out. Even if Loki wanted to, he couldn't help them now. When ghost fire caught it couldn't be out until the whole being was burnt of energy and fuel, even if it was a person.  
  
The next time he looked there was only ash.   
  
"Try to come back this time." Loki muttered to the black ashes on the ice.  
  
His legs shook, his breath more laboured. He sank to the floor, the blade clang to the floor and the wooden stake rolling away. He didn't care that he landed too hard and cut his knees open on the hard floor causing them to bleed. He just didn't care. He couldn't do this anymore. He buried his face in his legs.   
  
His nails dug into his palms drawing blood. Loki felt like screaming, even crying but what good would that do? He had nowhere to go. He had no one. _Nothing_. He should have seen this coming. He should have prepared.   
  
He felt a faint dampness on his neck. He opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head. He looked to find Fenrir was licking at him. Loki smiled faintly despite himself. Loki gently scooped Fenrir up out of the sling. His little paws kicked out and he whined. His eyes were still shut, he was yet to open them. Loki held him close in his arms, carefully stoking his tiny head as he cradled him. He pressed his lips to the cub's forehead as it settled back down to sleep.   
  
He swallowed and lifted Aumak out of the sling. She was a faint brown colour, slightly smaller than her brother and so very still. He placed her on the other end of his arms staring down at her. He wished she'd move, whimper, and kick her little paws. She didn't. She never had. He stroked her fur, it was so soft. He wanted to see her tiny chest lifted and fall like her brother.  
  
If he could find her spirit.. Maybe she was here..   
  
Loki suddenly flinched when a shrill shriek filled the air, "Garmr!"   
  
Loki jerked up to see the ash was floating up and glowing brightly as it rose up in the shape of a wolf. Its body was slowly re-piecing itself and its head was already almost formed out of the black ash. It looked even more pissed off than before.  
  
He slipped his pups back into the sling and dove for his sword. He heard Fenrir yelp a little from being jolted awake in the sling as he grabbed his sword. He murmured an apology to his cub before rushing forward towards the nearly reformed wolf with his sword at the ready. Loki could see the other wolf beginning to reform. He lifted his sword ready to strike.  
  
"No don't!" A girl shrieked.  
  
He twisted around to see.. It was- She was...By the Norns. He fell to a stop.  
  
In front of him was a young girl. She was short and pale with long, thick, golden hair loosely plaited down to her shoulder in a careless fashion. She had sharp sea-green eyes that matched her long jade dress which fell to her shins. Around her waist was a thin, black, leather belt that held a couple of knives and an empty sheath. Despite the fact she could be nothing more than 10 years old she pointed a long sword at him unwavering. Her face was serious and angry, reminding him of Sif. That was of course was until she saw his face. The girl froze and nearly dropped her sword in shock.  Loki was aware he didn't look that good. His raven hair flopped around his face in messy waves. His face was pale and he had eyes that were dark and sunken from lack of sleep. There was now also dried blood around his nose along with a couple of minor scratches he had acquired.  
  
They both stared at each other in silence. Her mouth flopped open and closed as she stared with round eyes.  
  
He couldn't believe it.. The odds..  
  
"Fa- Father..?" She choked, looking so much younger now.   
  
Loki swallowed and nodded.  
  
Her face broke into a smile, her sword dropped to the ground already forgotten, clanging against the hard rock, as she ran to him. He smiled and only just managed to catch her before she threw herself at him at full force. He wrapped his arms around her holding her up into the air. He kisses the top of her head smiling down at her, ignoring the strain of her weight on his weak arms.   
  
He had found his Hela.  
  
She clung to him as if she was scared that if she let go he would vanish. Her breathe was warm against his neck and her grip was tight but he didn't mind. Loki was just glad she was alive. He had been worried about what would happen to her here.  
  
Hela pouted at him, now only loosely wrapping her arms around his neck, "You hurt Garmr." She said.  
  
"Garmr?" He frowned.  
  
She had shouted that name when she had come in but he wasn't sure who it referred to. Hela nodded to Garmr who happened to be the wolf, who had rose from the ashes and was now reformed in all its fluffy, demon glory. This wolf, Garmr, was most likely the one he had made headless earlier, though now it was sniffing around them and wagging its tail as if it was a domesticated dog. It was even staring up at his daughter adoringly. It no longer looked like a massive wolf that was going to tear his spine from his body. The Odöda-Vargr actually looked quite impressive now that he could get a proper look at it when it wasn't trying to eat him. Garmr was something Loki would actually have as a companion if he could take it back with him.  
  
"Sorry," Loki chuckled, "Garmr was trying to kill me."  
  
Hela gave him a tiny smile, "He has a tendency to do that." She paused and frowned, looking distracted. She rested a small hand against his cheek, "You don't look well," She said with a worried tone, "You're so pale.."  
  
"I'm fine." Loki told her.   
  
He just needed rest, some time to recover. Loki hadn't really stopped anywhere since Fenrir and Aumak had been born. If he got some rest he would be fine in no time.  
  
She frowned more causing tiny wrinkles forming in the middle of her brows, "No, you're not fine.."  
  
She let go of his neck and dropped down to the ground, like a cat, not making a sound.   
  
"It's not important, right now." He insisted, because it _really_ wasn't.   
  
In a place like this lack of sleep and blood wasn't on the top of his worries.  
  
"We should really tr-"  
  
"Who are they?" She interrupted, trying to peer into his sling like a child at a sweetshop counter.  
  
Loki kept his expression unmoving even though he almost wanted to smile at her, she was forever interrupting people.  
  
"They're.." He paused and pulled a squirming Fenrir out of the slinging. He was bigger than a normal wolf cub by a dozen pounds, Loki was sure of it. His eyes were still clamped shut and tinged with the same pale pink that was on his muzzle. Fenrir had thin but soft fur that was a mismatch of brown and black. His paws were no bigger than a baby's curled fist but he kicked them with great enthusiasm. Loki gently supported the whining, wriggling cub in his arms, "This is your brother.." Loki told her.  
  
Hela peered at the cub and slowly reached out to stroke its soft fur. Fenrir whined and Hela started quietly cooing to him. After awhile the cub stopped squirming in his arms and began sniffing at her fingers that were the source of the attention. She giggled a little when he started licking at her fingers in a clumsy but affectionate fashion.   
  
"What's his name?" She whispered, her eyes bright.  
  
"Fenrisúlf." Loki murmured, "But I just shorten it to Fenrir."  
  
Hela smiled, "It suits him."  
  
Loki pulled the wolf cub close to his chest, nodding a little in agreement.   
  
"What about the other one?" She asked trying to peer into the sling.   
  
He stepped away, cradling his pup up against his neck and shoulder. "There isn't another one." He said carefully.  
  
She scoffed, "Yes there is, I saw another one when I came in." Then muttered to herself, "God of Lies my ass."  
  
Loki gave her a pointed look but Hela just stuck her tongue out at him. He sighed, sometimes his children had more attitude than he ever did.   
  
She held her hands out, "Let me see." Hela insisted.  
  
He shifted his weight on his feet, not meeting her eye. Loki swallowed, his heart skipping a beat. How could he explain this? It had been a stupid idea, an idea made without using his head but Loki couldn't have just left her like that.. There had been something wrong about leaving a cub in the snow.. like she was something to be discarded. He _knew_ it was desperate, semimetal even, but he.. he couldn't just leave her.. not after.. He shivered a little. Loki could almost see the pooling blood, feel the cold...the hard stone floor.. waves and waves of pain. The- Loki stiffened, pushing the thoughts back, and pulling back a neutral expression as he remained silent.   
  
Her arms fell to her sides, "Father?" She said slowly searching his face, "What's wrong?"  
  
He didn't answer. What could he say? What the hel could he possibly say?  
  
"Has something.." She started saying before trailing off. She moved forward, quickly closing the distance between them. Loki remained still, despite wanting to back away. He shifted uncomfortably as Hela to lifted Aumak from the sling. It would be easier for her to see rather than for him to have to explain.   
  
Hela stared down at the little brown and white cub she had cradled in her arms. Aumak's eyes were closed and she was perfectly still. It could almost be mistaken for sleeping if it wasn't for the lack of breathing.  
  
Hela lowered her head. The blonde hair that had escaped her plait fell down around her eyes and cheek. Loki could see something flicker across her face, though he could place it, before her expression hardened.  
  
"Is this why you came?"  
  
"Partly.." He admitted.  
  
Her small face twisted into a sharp glare, "Father have you gone _insane_?" She snapped.  
  
"No." Loki frowned, "Give me back Aumak." He ordered, putting an arm out, as his stomach twisted at the sight of her being held so tightly.  
  
"There's nothing that can be done for her." Hela insisted.  
  
Loki glared at her, ripping the cold cub from her arms and pressing Aumak to his chest, "There is always something that can be done, you brought back that bird maybe I can do the same."  
  
Loki wasn't shaking. His arms and hands weren't shaking. If they were it was anger, it honestly was, it wasn't anything else.  
  
"Aumak isn't a bird!" Hela shouted, waving her little hands, "She isn't an animal. There are rules, what is dead should stay dead! Like sure there is a way but the price isn't worth it." Her voice broke at the last part which only seemed to make her expression harden more. "It would unbalance everything."    
  
"If I was to offer up a life in exchange-"  
  
"It has to be given willingly," She hissed, balling her hands up into tight fists, "Are you going give up your life? Leave Fenrir fatherless on the off chance Aumak comes back right? Do you want her to come back as one of those _Things..._ half-living, twisted and insane?"  
  
"It's none of your business!" Loki snarled. It was at such a loud violent volume it made Hela flinch. Her green eyes were wide and wild, staring at him like he had struck her. Loki fell suddenly quiet, biting his lip to the point that it stung.  The shouting had woken Fenrir causing him to whine and kick in his arms beside his limp sister.  To his left Garmr had stood up and was growling warningly at him, his fur rising up threateningly with his fangs bared.   
  
Loki pulled Aumak closer. He closed his eyes for a second. Loki wanted to feel the warmth of his cub against his chest so bad. He wouldn't, he probably never would. He wanted her to be alive so bad. She had a life unlived, it wasn't right. It had been taken. If he hadn't been in the middle of nowhere.. if Od- No, these were all if's, all things that may have been. They weren't reality.  
  
When he looked back up, his expression tight, Loki found Hela was watching him with a look he couldn't place.  
  
"This wasn't the only reason you came here was it?" She said with a softer tone.  
  
Loki sighed, shaking his head, feeling suddenly drained, "I thought this would be a place Odin's men wouldn't follow.. I hoped I would find you here."  
  
"This isn't a good place to hide," Hela sighed.  
  
"Why?" Loki asked frowning faintly.  
  
It should be the perfect place. It was why Loki had come all this way. This should be a place he could rest and hide out for a while.  Loki looked down at his daughter's face. Her expression seemed weary and more serious than it should ever be for a girl of her age. Loki knew she was strong but this, this place, should be too much for her. This entire situation was a whole new level of messed up.  
  
"There are still some of Odin's warriors here, you should go before they get back. If you leave Aumak with me I'll try them to convince them she's Fenrir, your third born. Perhaps that way you'll be able to protect one of us." She said with a sad smile.  
  
"Why would you do that?" He frowned, "Won't you be coming with me?"  
  
Hela shifted uncomfortably, "I can't."  
  
Loki stared at her, "What do you mean? I know a way out of here. There's a passageway I know. We could leave here and find somewhere else. Odin will give up eventually.."  
  
Hela shook her head, "I've already tried that pathway."  
  
"Does-"  
  
"You can go through it but I can't. I physically can't." She said, turning away slightly, her shoulders sinking, "I'm sorry.."   
  
His lips didn't seem to be able to form words. He was starting to feel a chill, a dread. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.  
  
Hela swallowed, looking at him tensely, "This place won't let me.. I killed her.. I can't leave."  
  
Loki gave her a cautious but questioning look. He could feel his fingers tensing and tightening. Who had she killed? He wanted to ask but he couldn't seem to get the words out.  
  
Hela slowly pointed towards the empty dark throne to his right, "They said they'd hurt Jormungandif I didn't kill her.." She mumbled miserably, "I didn't know that if I killed her I had to take her place. They lied to me."  
  
Loki stared at the throne. It was empty. The Goddess of this place should be sat there. She was stood in front of him. It shouldn't be possible, that meant..  
  
"I can never leave.." She said, through gritted teeth, her voice shaking.   
  
"What happens when you try?" Loki asked.   
  
This had to be all a misunderstanding. Loki couldn't leave her here. This was no place for a child, no place for his daughter. This was all a trick. She would smile any moment and laugh at him.  If this was true.. then there had to be some sort of way. There had to be some sort of loophole. How could he leave his daughter here? He just couldn't.  
  
"This is what happens when I try to leave.." She murmured, holding an arm out.   
  
There was a flicker of purple light. Loki watched as his daughter's skin seemed to rot away and peal back to reveal what was underneath. Loki could see the white polished bone of her small fingers, the long bone of her forearm, her cream shoulder. He could even see part of her jaw and teeth. Her skin was so much paler now, almost like she was dead. Parts of her hair were no longer blonde but a withered grey.  
  
She looked like..  
"You've taken her place." Loki murmured, his voice rough.   Hela nodded, letting her arm fall back to her side. There was a flash of purple and then her skin slowly reformed, knitting itself back together, to hide her bone. It was an illusion; there really was no skin or muscle there anymore.  He had to give it to Odin, this was clever. To find a way in which she couldn't leave without actually killing her that took some going. This would eliminate the threat. He wanted to scream. Who in their right mind saw this little girl as a threat? This may be clever, but it was wrong. It was worse than that. His girl couldn't grow up in a place like this. There had to be some way to reverse it. He wouldn't let Odin get away with this.  
  
"You should go," Hela told him, "They'll be back soon. I don't want them to hurt Fenrir as well.  
  
"I can't just leave you here.."  
  
"Yes you can," She huffed, "I've got Garmr for company and I'm sure you'll find a way to bend the rules to get me out-"  
  
Her head suddenly twisted to the direction of the corridor. She swore and Loki realised there was a sound of footsteps.   
  
Her eyes hardened, "father you need to go," She said urgently, "give me Aumak."  
  
He opened his mouth to argue, holding his cub tight his chest. He could feel that fierce feeling rising up inside him again like a wild animal. Something he had only ever felt after the cave.  
  
"It will save Fenrir if they think its him." Hela insisted, "I give you my word she'll get a proper burial, something you can't do right now."  
  
Loki could hear the footsteps closer now. He wanted badly for Aumak to be alive, for her to stay by his side. She wasn't. The way to bring her back.. was it worth it? The last thing he wanted was for her to come back as one of those.. _things_. Even if she did come back right Loki couldn't die trying to save one of the two only to leave them both alone. A life for a life. It would leave them Fatherless.  He was chasing after a dream, a child already dead. Maybe it was better this way. She was innocent, unharmed. She hadn't lived so maybe she wouldn't miss what she'd never had. If somehow her life could be used to hide Fenrir's, maybe then there would be hope. Maybe her life could be used to give another a life.   Despite all this, when handed Hela the limp cub it still felt wrong. It made his stomach lunch, like he was losing her again. It felt like giving up.   _It's for the best._ He reminded himself. He had to stay in the present or he would lose his living children.  
  
"I will come back for you." Loki promised.   
  
She nodded and smiled sadly. "I always wanted my own kingdom."  
  
He never got to reply. There was shouting as the group of warriors came around the corner  and caught sight of him. They were telling him not to move. He could hear clanging of their swords as they were drawn. His breath caught in his throat, they were blocking the way out. He wasn't sure he could fight them off with his sword when he felt this weak in body and in mind.  
  
Hela suddenly grabbed his wrist. Her small hand tightly circled his wrist and he felt a rush burst through him, filling him up.  
  
"Take care of my brother," Hela murmured, her hands were glowing a deep purple.  
  
The guards rushed forward. Loki opened his mouth to answer her but the purple engulfed him and everything vanished.  No last words, not even a goodbye. A flicker and he was gone.  
\---  
"Father?" Fenrir asked with concern in his voice.   
  
Loki glanced up and realised he must have been staring into space, lost in a memory. He never lost control like that. That was a memory he hadn't visited in a long time. He hadn't told anyone about it, ever.  
  
Loki gave his son a smirk, that didn't reach his eyes, and told him to have patience.   
  
Loki quickly launched into his story of his journey through Hel (which had a different name at the time) and how he had battled a Odöda-Vargr and had killed it. He left out bits, twisting it so that the three of them had spent more time together. Loki told Fenrir how his sister Hela had held him in her arms, smiling down at him. He didn't tell him about Aumak, not that he had ever told anyone. He glossed over their departure, skipping on.   
  
Loki then told him about her early years. He spun a story of a young blonde sprite like creature, when really she had been quite reserved. Loki told him of the tricks she had played on her old brother, who would snap at her quite literally.   
  
Loki explained how she had shown quite potential as a child. She had unusually strong necromancy powers. One time when she had been but four her pet bird had died. The next day the bird was alive again, much to his and Amora's amazement.   
  
He left out what happened to the bird a month later and how Amora had pushed his daughter harder than he would have liked towards the Arts. Her affiliation with the dead had most likely been why she had been banished to Hel. He wondered if Amora hadn't pushed her so much that then perhaps Odin wouldn't have seen her as a threat. He guessed he would never know.  
  
He told Fenrir about the little things, her favourite toy, her first words, how she would insist on the same story every night. Loki told him about her sword fighting and the Hela had tried to ride his horse, which had ended badly for her.  
  
As Loki and Fenrir grew sleepier, Fenrir managed to convince him to tell him about his half brothers Vali and Narvi. Loki explained how inseparable they were even though they were the polar opposites. One loved books where as the other loved fighting and the outdoors. The one thing that brought the twins, him and Sigyn together was their love for magic. They were all strong when it came to that Art.  
  
Eventually Loki grew too tired to talk anymore and settled down under the covers. Fenrir seemed content, his curiosity satisfied. Loki closed his eyes, trying to convince himself he didn't feel a pang inside. He should be grateful for the time he had with each of them. He settled down with Fenrir curled at his feet and dim light from the window shinning in. The past was the past. He fell asleep hoping for just one full night without a night terror. Just one night of peace was all he asked.  
  
\---  
  
It was dark, though not dark enough that Loki couldn't see. If he couldn't see it would be some sort of blessing but there were no blessings here.  
  
In the dark Loki could see the pale stone above him, a short distance around the rectangle slab, and the floor below. The ground was some sort of metal. It was without a metallic grey colour normally associated with metal. Perhaps it wasn't even metal maybe it was one of those stones like Onyx or Obsidian with a shiny surface that had been dulled to a rough finish either by design or wear. It was hard to tell if the floor's dark colour was its real colour without the light to see properly. Apart from this everything else within a couple of metres was veiled from him by the thick darkness. Behind him Loki knew there was a fire but for whatever reason no light radiated from it.  
  
The light of the room was just dim enough that Loki could see his torso and legs. He wished he couldn't. He almost wished everything was pitch-black. That way he could convince himself he was dead. Loki wouldn't have to look at this body he had no control over.   
  
His blue skin against the darkness made it look almost purple or a deep blue. It was disgusting.. vile.. An abomination. Loki didn't want to look at himself. Whenever he accidentally caught glimpses of his blue skin, it made him want to tear his eyes out. Loki could see the odd pale white ridges protruding out like a strange, raised tattoo all over his body. They were marking he had seen on other Jötun that seemed as unique as a fingerprint. Ironically there was more red and silver white than there was blue on his skin now. There was barely a piece of skin that hadn't been marked with an instrument. Every crevice was marked, ruining any beauty that may have been found. These marks made a story of his time here across his skin.   
  
He hadn't seen proper light in so long, Loki wasn't even sure when the last time was. Weeks? Months? Loki couldn't be sure. There was nothing here; just the dark, the silence and the heat. Loki just wanted to step into the sunlight and feel a breeze on his skin. He didn't mind where or how. It could be on Jötunheim for all he cared. He just wanted something. An interaction with someone, anyone. Some sort of stimulus that wasn't.. _pain_. Even to see a different dark room would be something.   
  
The room was unbearably warm. The air was dry and lacking oxygen. It smelt of recently burnt flesh. It made him feel sick despite knowing no food would come up if he did. Loki could feel sticky sweat running down his back. It was trying to cool him down but he knew it wouldn't. It would only get warmer and Loki wasn't sure this form could take it. His [Æsir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86sir) form would be okay in this heat but this body.. it just wasn't made for this heat. Loki was surprised he was still alive in the hellishly hot room. He wished he wasn't.   
  
His throat was already raw and dry from the heat and Loki could have sworn his eyes were drying out. He found he couldn't swallow, his mouth was too dry.  
  
He twisted and pulled against the bindings but they didn't move.  The bindings held his arms and legs securely in place. Loki yanked more violently at them in frustration, only succeeding in hurting his arms and ankles. Loki could feel the cool blood running from his wrists across his cracked skin. It was almost soothing. Loki didn't have chance to enjoy its cool touch.  Behind him Loki heard a familiar bug like clicking out of his eye line, which signalled the door opening. His stomach clenched tightly. He could hear the scraping of claws against the metal like stone.. Or was it stone like metal? He didn't suppose it mattered. Loki caught the sound of a clang of metal against a crackling fire. He managed to suppress a shiver at the sound.  
  
He twisted in his bindings, turning to stare at the ceiling. If Loki didn't look, then it wasn't happening. Just like as a kid would cry 'if I can't see you, you can't see me'. After all this couldn't be happening. He was dead. The fall from Bifröst should have killed him.  He had to be dead. At least it was all he hoped for.  
  
Loki began counting the cracks and grooves on the ceiling as a distraction, despite knowing the exact number of imperfections.  
  
_One little crack, two big ones.._ _A curved one, four dotted ones.._ _That one like a claw mark...  
  The tenth a jagged crack.  
_  
Loki could feel himself wanting to shrink back as a figure approached. Its shadow fell across him. He continued counting in his head. This wasn't real.   
  
_The eleventh a shallow one,  
  
The thirteenth almost invisible,   
   The fourteenth..._  
  
Loki could sense it looming over him now. It was silent, he couldn't even hear the being breathing. Maybe they didn't need to.   
  
Loki could sense this one was taller than the others, not that it mattered, they had no individuality. They were all the same when it came down to it.   
  
Loki kept his eyes fixed up.   
  
_The fourteenth like a dip,  
  
  The fifteenth a hole, sixteen and seventeenth tiny cracks,   
  
Nineteen an indent.  
  
Twenty.. Had he counted that one?   
  
Twenty a claw mark,   
  
            Twenty-one a pimple,_ _  
Twenty-two a large crack..   Twenty-four a-  
_  
Loki gritted his teeth tightly, in an attempt to muffle any noise, as the red hot metal was lowered on his leg.   
  
_Twenty-four a tiny hole..  
  
             Twenty-five a crack...  
_  
Loki huffed through his teeth as the metal was laid against his bare skin. He could feel the pain sizzling through him as his skin melted. It burnt through his thin skin, past the muscle, to the white, probably blackening bone. His body convulsed a bit, as if trying to fight the heat. His legs twisted in their bounds out of his control, his heart rising.  
_  
Twenty-five,  
  Twenty-six,  
     Twenty-seven  
   Eight  
Nine  
  Thirty.   
  
Did that small crack count? It was so tiny.   
  
__What number was he on? Ah well..  
  
Thirty-six.. Thirty-seven.. Thirty-eight...  
_  
If he looked at the figure Loki knew he would see blankness. If it snarled at him or shouted at him it would be more bearable than this. Instead it stood silently with the thick metal slowly being rolled against his blue skin. Once polished bone was revealed by muscle and skin dangling away from it, discoloured, watery and useless the metal was moved. Every time Loki could feel his skin melting, bubbling, blistering under the metal, sizzling away, burning and singeing. His body jerking against the heat, rejecting it.  
  
The metal was lifted off and Loki sagged a tiny bit. A moment of peace.. His flesh and bone was open to the hot air. It was stinging and aching against the open air but not burning. The b-  
  
_Wait.. Don't think..  
  
Fifty-two was a fracture,   
  
Fifty-three a white mark, fifty-four a large crack..  
  
Fifty-five,   
   Fifty-six, fifty-seven,   
       Fifty-eight  
  
Fifty-nine was fuzzy,  
  
Sixty a crooked mark,   
Sixty-one hiding beside it.  
  
Sixty-two,  
 Three,  
      Four,  
  
Sixty-five a tiny dot..  
_  
The rod now hot again was thrust through his stomach. Loki screamed through teeth, accidental biting his tongue, as he withered against the scorching metal. Blood spilled out of the wound almost drying out under the heat. His mouth tasted metallic, his tongue stinging,  as he gasped for air in the blistering heat. He could barely breathe in this heat or against this pain.   
  
His organs were being burnt, his flesh bubbling. Loki screamed through his teeth, trying to hold it back.  
  
_Sixty-six.. Sixty-seven.. S..ixty-eight..  
_  
There was no laugh, no words. In some ways that made it worse. The people doing this weren't people they were things- _its_. They weren't doing it for fun, they were just following orders.   
  
If he looked down from the ceiling he would see those bead blank eyes on those alien faces. No sympathy, no anger, not even enjoyment. He was just another task to them.   
  
The rod was pulled from his stomach. Loki grunted. No blood came out. The skin around the hole charred and aching.   
  
_Sixty-eight, sixty-nine..  
  
Seventy..  
_  
Loki could hear the swishing of water to his right. He flinched.   
  
_Se..venty..one  
  
Seventy-thhree..  
_  
Loki could feel his fingers shaking.   
  
His eyes flickered down.   
  
They were holding a bucket of water. There was stream billowing off it with bubbles boiling away. Not this..  
  
He trained his eyes to the ceiling.  
  
_One,  
  Two,  
    Three,  
Four.. Five.. Six.._    
  
There was a sloshing. A shadow fell over him. He tried to swallow but he couldn't in this heat.   
  
_Seven.. Claw mark.  
  
   Eight.. Indent.  
  
       Nine.. Groove.  
_  
The bucket was slowly tilted so drops of boiling hot water dripped onto his legs and sizzled. He clenched his jaw against the stinging sensation.   
  
_Twenty.. Twe..nty-one.. Tw..e..  
_  
More and more water slowly poured on to him and Loki started moaning quietly. It felt like his skin was being seared off, like it was melting and bubbling off. It probably was.   
  
He made the mistake of looking once.  He caught sight of skin peeling back.  He saw red, wet sticky muscle, bone that was yellow-white and bubbled, blistered skin or none at all.   
  
_T..wen... T..w.. Tw....._  
  
Loki gasped and gasped for air as the burning sensation only seemed to grow. He twisted and turned even though there was no escaping the smouldering water splashing over him.  
  
His body sweated, it convulsed, rejecting the heat.   
  
Loki squeezed his eye shut against the pain. He could hear someone screaming. Was that him?  
  
It felt like his legs had been set on fire, it burned. Then eventually there was nothing and he couldn't feel that part of his leg, almost like the nerve endings had been burnt off completely.  
  
He wished _It_ would just cut him open. It would be a spike of pain rather than this.. This waves of pain. Pain that crashed through him, into every pore of his being.   
  
Please let them go too far, past the point of healing, Loki prayed.   
  
He just wanted to die.   
  
Why hadn't he died? If he died he'd go to Hel. He couldn't last much longer. He didn't want to last any longer.  
  
He knew the water had stopped but his legs still burned. They stung. They were agony. He knew some of his bone was exposed with bubbled skin, worthless muscle hanging off. Loki wanted to cut his legs off. That would hurt less than this. Bloody stumps would be better than this.   
  
Loki couldn't scream anymore, his throat hurt too much. He couldn't think properly over the waves of pain. It was like there was an electrical current shooting through him, frying every one of his cells, it hurt so much.  
  
He heard it lift up another bucket. The hot water sloshed from side to side as some of it splattering against the ground. Loki struggled, twisting and turning. A broken sob echoed across the room, that he was mutely aware was him.   
  
Loki was still struggling when it was spilled over his stomach, steam rolling up into the air. He let out a silent scream from his broken throat. His skin became instantly scorched, peeling away.  
  
Why hasn't anyone come to help him?  
  
The boiling water was continually poured over him. Loki could barely breathe against it. The water brought pain. Burning pain.   
  
It burnt him, destroyed, disfigured and melted him beyond repair.  
  
His skin fell away.. His muscle scorched.. His organs.. Burning.. Searing.. Bubbling away..  
  
The bucket tossed, another lifted, steam rolling off it.  
  
No not more.  
  
_'Please, someone kill me.'_ His cracked lips mouthed silently.  
  
His body shook, convulsing against the heat.  
  
_'Kill me now.'_  
  
He couldn't do this anymore.   
  
Blood was dripping from the table onto the ground. It was pooling, drying into a crusty mess under the heat. The heat in the air stung his open body. Each involuntary convulsion caused pain to shot through him, tearing at the open, blistered wounds.  
  
_'Someone kill me.'_ _'Kill me now.'_  
  
Water crashes down. Loki screamed soundlessly. 

  
\---  
  
Loki gasped awake thrashing around against something smothering him.  It was weighing him down, pinning him against the ground. He writhed and kicked. His breath was so fast he couldn't breathe. His head was fuzzy and his heart was almost hammering out of his chest. His eyes twisted around wildly catching sight of the window. He gulped for air, the world spinning, trying to make sense of it. There were no windows there, no light, never any light.  Loki looked down to see what was trapping him just his covers. He let out a broken laugh that sounded more like a sob to his ears.  

 _Just a dream.. just a dream.._ Loki told himself. 

Loki sat in the dark, trying to control his breathing. His hands were in his hair gripping it tightly to the point that it hurt, whilst his eyes were squeezed shut. Just a nightmare, he wasn't there anymore. He wasn't there anymore.  He sucked in a ragged breath. 

All he had wanted was one night of peace. At least this time Fenrir was still fast asleep and hadn't been woken by him. This way Loki wouldn't have to look at those confused eyes. Loki curled in on himself, shivering in the dark. He just wanted one night; one night of sleep. He didn't move once in the night, just stared at the street light through the crack in the curtain.  Maybe he really was starting to lose it.

\--- 

Everything is always better in the daylight is something he had heard a while ago and Loki was inclined to agree. He pushed away thoughts of the night before and threw himself into the day. In mid afternoon Loki went back to the weapon room. He planned to leave in the evening so decided to help Eric out with the shop. He was sent to the backroom since Eric didn't want him in the front in case 'the men in suits' spotted him. By this point Loki was convinced Eric needed to watch less TV.   
  
Loki thought Eric was a little surprised he was still here. He had noticed Eric had done a double take when he'd come in the kitchen for a coffee in the morning. He couldn't blame him though, most would have left by this point with so many looking for them. Especially when it was probably the whole of SHIELD and the Avengers. To be honest he probably should have left this morning. He knew where he was going, how he was getting there, he even had all he needed. He'd found some old clothes in the cupboard which Eric let him use so now he had a fresh pair of black jeans and a plain T-shirt that was a little too big. He had all the weapons he needed and enough food to take. But then he might not return to Eric's again so it was the least he could do to give a little back.  
  
In the backroom there were still so many weapons that either hadn't been accounted for or had been ticked off in the wrong part. Also some weapons still needed sharpening or cleaning. So Loki ended up spending the afternoon sorting through all of the stuff and getting the room into some sort of relative order.  
  
He was in the middle of packing some machetes into a draw when Eric came in from the shop. Eric hardly ever left the front shop, since there weren't any other employees to watch over the place.   
  
Loki glanced at him, expecting him to be holding a box of more items but instead found he was stood in the doorway empty handed. In fact his fists were tightly clenched hanging at his side. He wore an expression oppositely bright to his tense body language.   
  
"Is something wrong?" Loki asked with narrowed eyes.  
  
He didn't like the look in Eric's eyes, it made him feel like something was off.  
  
"No," Eric smiled, "I just need some help in the front."  
  
Loki knitted his brows, not moving.

Eric had said he didn't want him in the front; he was a paranoid bastard after all. Why would he want in front now?  
  
"Come on," Eric said, gesturing to the door, "I really need your help up front, Loki."  
  
His heart jumped as his body stiffened and his eyes flickering around. Eric always called him Luke.  
  
"Of course," Loki said smoothly, slipping the machete he'd been holding into his jeans, out of sight.  
  
He caught Eric's eyes follow the weapons movement but Eric didn't comment.   
  
He let Eric lead him down the corridor to the shop. As he followed he let out a low whistle. The sound was quiet, unordinary, sounding almost casual. Loki caught the sound of a thump followed by a padding of feet upstairs.  
  
Loki stepped into the main shop, finding the air was cooler in here than the back. It was somehow quieter in here with the glass cabinets all around like coffins. There were still two broken cabinets that were yet to be fixed, though the glass had been cleared and all the valuables removed. All that remained was the cracked edges of glass along its metal border like cartoon teeth.  
  
Loki spotted men standing around the cabinets. He heard footsteps from behind him, maybe 4 more blocking the way out? He couldn't be sure. Loki could almost hear Eric's heart pounding out of his chest.  
  
Loki scanned the shop to see there were two men stood by the door, blocking that exit. Their hands were hovering over their pockets, which meant they were probably armed. The dying sunlight from the small glass pane of the door caught their hair and their sunglasses, giving their faces a light gleam that illuminated it. He wanted to roll his eyes, they were wearing sunglasses inside. Did they think they were in Men In Black?   
  
Loki spotted a stubby looking man stood in the far corner. He kept glancing out of the window nervously every so often. Three other taller men wearing tight expressions were stood near the wooden counter at the front whilst the last one was amongst the cabinets pretending to look at objects for sale. The man was a seriously bad actor.  
  
The men all turned when Loki entered the room and it was then he saw the tiny emblem on their chest. By the Norns, he hated that symbol, not that he was surprised to see it. He cursed himself, he should have left this morning. He could have avoided this; he could be in Sokovia by now.   
  
He glanced at Eric who was looking at him uncomfortably but Loki gave him a tiny smile. It wasn't his fault. Eric had warned him. Loki hadn't experienced any sort of loyalty towards him in some time. No one ever puts trust in the God of Lies. What is it they say? Ah yes, a Devil is more trustworthy than an Angel because you know he's dishonest so you can trust him to be dishonest. Evidently no one had ever heard that because no one had ever really put any trust in him. He didn't know why Eric trusted him. It was obvious now he knew who Loki was yet he hadn't wavered. Humans were peculiar. They put loyalty in the oddest things.  
  
The agents' faces went from neutral to serious when Loki slipped around the counter. He could almost smell the fear pouring off them. He took another step, looking down at them. Suddenly every gun in the room was drawn, all pointing towards him.  
  
"Is this how SHIELD say hello to everyone?" Loki asked dryly, eyeing the barrel of the gun closest to him. He hadn't seen that make of gun before.   
  
Couldn't these people just leave him alone? He had more important things to do than deal with some SHIELD agents. He'd only _just_ got away. Couldn't they give him a break?  
  
"Put your hands where we can see them." One of them by the counter ordered calmly.  Loki could see sweat running down the agents skin from the deepest orange hair Loki had ever seen. It was a bit like a carrot, if he had got the correct Midgardian plant.   
  
Loki sighed and raised his hands just above his shoulders.   
  
The one with black, spiky hair to the left of the man who had spoke put his gun away and moved forward with cuffs dangling in his hand. Loki recognised them as the cuffs he'd escaped from at Stark's Tower. They were supposed to block any magic from being used. They still thought he had magic then, no wonder they looked so uneasy.  
  
He held his wrists out to make it easier for them to put the cuffs on him. The man was right in front of him now, reaching out to enclose his wrist in metal. He could see the gleam of runes on its surface and could almost feel the chill of the metal cuffs.  
  
Loki waited until the last second when the cuffs were almost around his wrists before he kicked the man hard in the stomach. As the man lurched forward in pain Loki drew the large machete from his jeans and swung it. He grinned widely as the blade sliced through the man's neck. The head came clean off and rolled to the floor. Blood sprayed up in a grotesque parody of a water fountain as the headless body sunk to the ground like an abandoned puppet.   
  
Loki flung his right leg into flying kick knocking a man behind him into a wall so hard it crumbled slightly. He twisted, dodging a bullet by a centimetre, before using his fist to hit a man hard in the side of his neck. He aimed his knuckles up so it collided with a small precise spot of his neck. The man stumbled a second before collapsing into unconsciousness.   
  
Loki ducked under the counter as gun shots started rattling around the room. A couple of the cabinets shattered from stray bullets, sending glass everywhere.  
  
Loki nearly fell on top of Eric as he landed, not realising he was crouched behind it.  
  
"Fenrir doesn't eat anyone, huh?" Eric muttered to him over the gun shots.  
  
Loki glanced back in the corridor to see blood of the four men, he had thought were behind him, pooled on the floor. Their limps and torso torn to pieces and in the mists of it Fenrir stood snarling, with blood pouring down his muzzle. He was ripping a fifth man apart by tearing what might have been his intestines from his stomach whilst he was still alive and screaming.   
  
Loki snorted, "He doesn't like men in suits."  
  
Eric rolled his eyes, "You're a dick."  
  
Loki stuck his tongue out at him before yanking the shotgun from under the counter.   
  
Loki stuck his head over the counter to see; one headless man on the ground with blood gushing from his neck, one dazed man wobbling around in circle from being thrown into a wall, another laying unconscious with possible brain damage and four other agents rushing towards the counter, their guns drawn.  
  
Loki aimed the gun at the closest man and shot him straight in the head. The man cried out as he stumbled and fell with one of his eyes not there anymore. He wasn't used to the gun jolting back so hard, since it was a shotgun, but he managed not to drop it. His second shot hit an agent in the shoulder but the man kept coming.   
  
He dropped the gun, since they were too close, and pulled out a throwing knife. He lifted his head up over the counter and then quickly ducked as a bullet flitted over his head. He jerked back up and threw the knife at a man's gun hand. The agent cried out as the knife embedded itself in his wrist and then screamed as Fenrir leapt over the counter on top of him. There was more screaming and then crunching, whimpering and then silence as blood splatters everywhere.  
  
Loki turned to the backdoor as Fenrir finished off the last of the agents. He glanced at Eric, giving him a small smirk, before picking up his machete and running for the door.   
  
He wiped the bloody blade on his jeans before bursting out into the parking lot. Loki instantly spotted two black vans with the SHIELD symbol painted across its glossy surface. Loki swore, pushing his hair out of his eyes.  
  
The doors of the vans were pulled back, with a rolling, crashing sound, and agents jumped out. They all had large guns and grim expressions. They were just like robots, Loki thought, soldiers with no brains.  
  
One yelled for him to put down the weapon which only made him grip it tighter. The agent reminded him of the first words he had heard Director Fury say.  
  
Loki held his ground, his eyes flitting around for any immediate escape route. He saw all the main ones were blocked. Loki would just have to make one then. Loki heard a crash of a door behind him as it was partly broken by Fenrir lumbered out. The door was now hanging precariously by one hinge. Eric was not going to be happy.  
  
"Took you long enough." Loki said to him, earning a snort from Fenrir.   
  
Fenrir licked his lips questioningly at the van of men and Loki nodded. He smirked as Fenrir bolted towards the men. Guns went off, there loud shrill bangs of ignition hurting his ears. It was futile since the bullets bounced uselessly off Fenrir's thick hide with no damage. The agents barely had time to scream before Fenrir launched himself at them. His claws sunk into the men's tender skin, ripping them apart, as he batted away the men like they weighted nothing.  
  
Loki ran forward, jumping onto the bonnet of the other van and then flipped up onto its flat roof. He pulled his handgun out and started shooting randomly down on the roof. The bullets pierced the metal and hit the men inside. Loki could hear yells and cries which hopefully meant he had hit some of them. The doors fell open and the agents that had escaped the bullets started pouring out.   
  
He jumped off the roof into their mists and swung his machete before his feet even landed. Since they were so close they couldn't dodge the blade as it swung through limbs and stomach alike with little discrimination. One female agent managed to point a gun at him but she lost her head before she could shot. Loki sent a flying kick at a man behind him, his hip turning with the motion, and knocked the gun from his hand. Loki then proceeded to hit him in the side of the head. The hit was hard and the agent was knocked out instantly, dropping down like a brick.  Loki spun and slashed an agent's arm clean off with a grunt just as he heard a yowl and an angry snarl.  
  
Loki turned to the other van to see two more vans had pulled up and dozens of men were now surrounding Fenrir. They had got some sort of metal rope around Fenrir's neck and were attempting to throw more rope around his body. Fenrir kicked and slashed his claws as the rope wrapped around him. The rope pressed in deep into Fenrir's fur, pinning one paw down.  Fenrir snarled at the agents and bit at anyone who got too close.  The agents tugged at the rope trying to knocking Fenrir off balance. Fenrir twisted and flailed, managing to get the rope between his claws. He swiped down, breaking through the rope like it was no more than a spider web.  
  
Loki hissed. He could feel his blood boiling at the sight. His hands were almost shaking. His eyes narrowed and Loki dispatching the last man with a single deadly blow. He picked up one of guns discarded on the ground. It was larger and heavy than his handgun but he liked the feel of it. Loki pointed it towards the crowd of agents around Fenrir and began firing. His blood might be boiling but it only made his aim deadlier.  The guns jolted back in his arms as he carefully avoided shooting his son, who was almost free of all the bindings. Most of the men collapsed after he shot them straight in the head with deadly accuracy. Others swayed for a couple of second, blood dripping from the gun shot, before keeling over. Then there were those who would trip over the bodies of the fallen and only making it easier for him to shoot them. Loki dropped the gun when it didn't shoot anymore and drew his machete in front of him again.   
  
He found Fenrir was now sticking his head into one of the newer vans ripping apart it residents. Loki noticed the black of the car park gravel was now turning a darker more metallic colour.  
  
Loki ran forward, ducking to the side as bullets barely rushed past him and slashed the nearest man to Fenrir's back. The man fell away, blood streaming from the slice. Loki ducked and one of the agents ended up shooting his own comrade in the chest. He grinned at the man who looked shocked at what he had done before slitting his throat.  
  
Loki easily cut down a couple of more men around Fenrir, whilst the wolf dragged the driver from his seat and mauled him. The agent ended up with his torso and legs being separate.   
  
Loki felt something fast whizz past him just as Fenrir let out a yelp. It took him a second to realise what it wasn't a bullet. He saw an odd, feathered like object sticking out of Fenrir. It looked a bit like a dart.  
  
Fenrir stumbled back. His legs seemed to flop under him in an uncoordinated fashion. His big green eyes were barely open almost like they were too heavy. His front legs were barely holding his weight.   
  
"You should go.." Fenrir murmured drowsily.  
  
Loki's eyes narrowed, "Not going to happen."  
  
He received an odd look from an agent for talking to Fenrir but the agent lost his head before anything could come of it.   
  
Loki watched helplessly as Fenrir crumbled to the floor. His body was slumped over an agent who hadn't moved out of the way in time and because of that was crushed under Fenrir's weight.  Loki could see Fenrir was still breathing which meant he wasn't dead, just out cold.  
  
His jaw clenched as he glanced at his son. He felt.. He didn't feel anything, just cold; cold rage. He methodically stabbed the last agent through the chest, barely glancing at them, before moving over to Fenrir. As Loki gently placed a hand on Fenrir's warm fur he heard the screech of tires and turned to see a larger van had pulled up.  
  
Loki noticed a gap in the vans; he could probably run for it and disappear into the crowds of the street before the men got out and started shooting. His hand tightened on his blade. Doing that would mean leaving Fenrir and doing what Fenrir had told him to do: to go without him. He couldn't do that.  
  
Loki pulled himself back up as the doors were flung back. He quickly ducked behind a van as guns went off. The glass of the front window shattered and he had to throw an arm across his face to avoid the glass getting in his face.  
  
Loki threw himself around the van running at the agents who were rushing forward heading for Fenrir. He ran slightly zigzag to avoid any stray bullets before swinging his blade at the nearest agent. The agent fell gurgling with a slit throat, part of his head hanging off. The agent behind the other, tripped allowing Loki to strike him hard in the face with his knee. He heard a crunch and the man fell unconscious. Loki twisted around to see they were moving for Fenrir.   
  
He snarled throwing a knife into the back of one of them. He would kill them all. He wouldn't let them touch Fenrir.  
  
They turned and tried to shot him point blank but he kicked out knocking the gun flying. He threw a punch, one finger knuckle partly out, and struck under his jaw. The man cried out, stumbling. Loki kicked him hard in the chest causing him to topple into the other men.   
  
He felt the air part and his hand shot out to catch an arrow like dart aimed for him. It was feathered just like the one they had shot Fenrir with. He hissed and stabbed it deep into the neck of an agent near him. The man stumbled before wavering and falling.   
  
Loki had never felt this before - this sickening anger. He knew he hated these humans but right now he wanted to kill them all. He wanted to rip their spines out and force them to drown in their own blood.  
  
A couple of agents had managed to slip past him and were trying to lift Fenrir into the van. He glared, jumped onto the pile of agents before leaping off it with his machete raised. As Loki fell back down the blade pierced through the back of one of them, almost severing their spine. He pulled the machete out and blood poured out of the hole. He swung his blade at the next agent taking his head only partly off. The man gurgled, his head dangling to the side.   
  
Loki felt a prick in his arm. He cursed and yanked only to pull a feathered arrow from his neck. He stared at it for a second, it seemed to dance in front of his eyes, spinning and doubling. He swore again, though it came out slurred. Loki felt odd, like he hadn't slept in years. The floor looked strangely comfortable. His legs wavered and he stumbled, tripping over the headless body of an agent. Loki toppled forward landing in a sticky substance. When he lifted his hands they were wet with the agent's warm blood. He managed to drag himself partly up, even though his legs were now numb and nonresponsive and his eyes were heavy.  Loki could feel a shadow of an agent fall over him. Loki didn't know where his machete was so he simply stabbed the man's foot with one of his tiny knives. He must have severed a couple of tendons from the way the agent was screaming.   
  
Loki felt his body cease up, his eyes barely staying open. The world span around and around just before his head hit the ground. Everything blinked out of existence. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, finally edited this. Sorry for the wait between chapters but in my defense this chapter is 20,000-ish words long, the longest yet! So really you waited the same amount of time for that amount of writing ;) I hate editing which is why it takes so long. I apologize for any errors, I could only go through it so many time before I went in sane. Quite a lot of this was written whilst I was on Holiday, commitment am I right?  
> Yeah I'm bad with picking names hence the name Aumak which is Greenlandic meaning 'blaze, glow'.  
> Also the bad name Odöda-Vargr. From what I've read Norse didn't really use the word Hellhound and it made me cringe when I used it so I went with something new. I kinda based it on a hellhound but a bit different, I can't remember where I read about the creature I based the Odöda-Vargr on. Odöda is a Swedish word for 'undead' and Vargr is a word in Norse that is associated with wolf, often Fenrir, I put them together and bam haha  
> The underworld scene was influenced heavily by Norse, Greek and my own imagination. For example things like the bridge and Modgud were things i came across in my research (which i loved doing), other things cam from Greek ad then things like the room with snakes was loosely based on a Nordic a friend had told me. Obviously there is a Hela and a Garmr in the comics but I stayed away from that influence.
> 
> Sorry for another cliffhanger but I had to leave it somewhere hehe  
> Please let me know what you think :)


	10. You Don't Have Any Human Rights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning*: This chapter contains depictions of torture that may be upsetting to some readers, (Also violence and reference to suicide.)

When Fenrir came around he hurt. His muscles ached like they were excreting lactic acid and his head felt like it had been struck repeatedly. Whatever they had drugged him with had been strong.  His head ached and throbbed from the groggy after effect. Fenrir had barely been able to tell his Father to run before the drug had taken effect and his legs gave in and he blacked out. Fenrir hoped his Father had run. If Fenrir hadn't have been knocked out he was sure he could of taken them all. He would have ripped them all apart. Sadly that hadn't been the case.

When the humans had entangled him in ropes he had nearly frozen to the spot. The feeling had brought back images of Gleipnir, theropethat had held him for all these years. It was surprising how easy it was to remember something like that even though the ropes were nothing alike. They weren't thin and ribbon-like as Gleipnir had been. The rope had still made him freeze for a moment. His feet stiff and his back arched with his breath still.

Looking at his Father, when the ropes had been holding him down, had surprised him. The boiling rage in his father's eyes had been almost unbearable to look at. The bloody sword hanging from his grip and the curl of his lips as his Father descended on the men around him had sent shivers down his spine. There had been a dangerous look in his Father's eyes he hadn't seen before and he almost pitied the men who had faced his wrath.  Fenrir himself had felt suffocated within the bounds, struggling against the ropes, spitting and biting until he'd realised how easily they broke. 

Fenrir shifted, grunting at his bruised body. Despite the fact the bullets not piercing his skin they still bruised his hide on their fast impact. He could feel his magic slowly healing the burst blood vessels as he lay there but it would take a little while for his injures to heal since his magic store was nothing compared to what it had once been.  
  
Fenrir slowly opened his eyes, still drowsy. He nearly closed his eyes immediately as it was too bright. The lights in the room were almost blindingly white and burned his eyes.   
  
Fenrir squinted his eyes as he pulled himself to his feet and then wobbled under his large weight but somehow managed to keep his balance.  The floor was cold against his paw pads but not to the point of discomfort. It was more of a chill and feeling of it being unnatural.  
  
As Fenrir glanced around, all he could see was glass. He was in a circle cage of glass that seemed to be suspended by some contraption above. The glass was a good couple of inches thick but completely see-through. He could see a small metal walk way leading to the glass door and some sort of control system near it. Perhaps it was a way to open the door but he couldn't be sure.  
  
He spotted a small shape to his left that looked like a bundle. Fenrir moved forward, sniffing along the floor as he did so. It smelt sterile and fake but he also picked up a familiar scent and the scent of the strange men. He stood over the shape, gazing down at it, and realised it wasn't a bundle of clothes that he had thought it was. It was his Father curled up. His long, black hair fell splayed across the white ground and his face in messy waves. The two colours contrasted making his hair look darker than it was and his face paler. Fenrir licked at his cheek but his Father didn't stir. He lay still, his eyes shut, looking almost vulnerable. He could smell the metallic scent of blood on him but Fenrir knew it wasn't Loki's. He noticed thick manacles, with runes covering them, around his wrists to restrain them.  
  
_Damn it._ Fenrir thought.  
  
He had told his father to run.

He sniffed around his Father before settling down close to him with his head resting on his paws. Fenrir watched him breathing, his chest falling and rising. This was probably the most peaceful he had ever seen his Father sleep. He'd noticed Loki would barely sleep a couple of hours without being jerked awake. His Father refused to talk about it.  
  
After laying there for a while Fenrir sensed something was watching him. He lifted his large head and glanced around until he caught sight of a figure outside the round cage and in the room itself. It seemed to be a mortal. The man had dark skin, making him seem like a shadow, and wore a long coat down to his thick boots. Over one eye he wore a patch like Odin did.

Fenrir let out a low warning growl, his fur standing up to give the impression he was larger than he was. He grounded his claws into the ground. The man didn't flinch just examined him with his one eye in mild interest. His face was blank of any emotion.

They looked at each other for what might been minutes or hours almost in a silent competition of who would look away first. Eventually it was neither since the man disappeared through a door, his coat flapping behind him, leaving Fenrir alone again without a single glance.  
  
He let his eyes flicker shut. Fenrir didn't sleep, not in such an unknown place, instead he listened. His ears twitched taking in the sounds around him. He could catch weird humming and cracking noises from the wall. Every so often he would hear sets of footsteps walking past far away. The ground seemed to shift every so often as if they were in something moving, a boat or aircraft perhaps?

After a while he let the sounds fade away and instead focused on the form he lay next to. Fenrir could hear his Father's faint breath and the quiet thump of his heart beat. Apart from that his Father remained still, probably trapped by the drug.  
  
Fenrir wasn't sure how long he lay there but he began to grow restless. He switched between sitting and pacing. At one particularly agitated moment he had tried ramming himself against the glass. It had cracked under his weight but that had somehow caused the whole cylinder to jolt downwards as the mechanism above loosened. He had thought for a moment it was going to drop off entirely. Fenrir didn't try that again but he now understood why they were kept in this particular cage.  
  
He heard a faint moan and turned to see his father beginning to stir. Fenrir jumped up and started licking at his face, not caring his tail was swishing back and forth erratically.  
  
Loki's eyes slowly opened and his now open eyes gleamed in the bright light like deep green Garnet. Fenrir's muzzle was knocked away by his father hand to stop Fenrir licking him. Fenrir huffed in annoyance and fell back onto his bottom. He watched as his Father slowly pulled himself up with a drowsy expression. He didn't stand up, instead leant back against Fenrir's side. Fenrir hummed a little. He watched as his father glanced around a little and then down at his shackled hands before cursing in a language he didn't recognise.  
  
He pressed his nose into Loki's neck, causing him to earn a frown, but he didn't get pushed away this time.  
  
"Do you know where we are?" Fenrir asked, carefully pushing the thought into his Father's head.  
  
"Yes," Loki replied with a faint sigh. His voice was odd, instead of speaking in an English language he spoke in Fenrir's mother tongue- Old Norse, "I think we're in SHIELD's Helicarrier, their Flying Fortress. Though this cage was designed for someone else."

"Why are you speaking in Norse?" Fenrir asked.  
  
"Ears everywhere." Loki murmured, his voice rich and honey-like as his tongue flowed over the different sounds and syllables of the old language.  
  
"What does SHIELD want?"  
  
His father shrugged with his face completely blank, "I imagine they think I'm going to try and kill them all or destroy their planet and so want to stop me."  
  
Fenrir snorted, resting his head on Loki's lap. Fenrir felt a hand slowly run along his head to muzzle, gently stroking him. His tail thumped against the ground as he enjoyed the sensation. He noticed his father never ran his hand down near to the bottom of his muzzle almost like he instinctively knew that was where his scar was, hidden under his fur.   
  
They lay like that for a while, partly intertwined in a content silence. He sensed that despite everything, Loki was still extremely tense. His father nearly jerked up when a door slid open.   
  
Fenrir pulled himself up to see a woman with oddly short hair striding in flanked by about 15 armed guards. They had large guns nearly the size of their whole arm strapped to their sides.   
  
The woman moved to the sort of control panel and typed something in. He could catch the sound of clicking and beeping as her fingers moved across the panel.  
  
She turned to look at them. Her face was stiff and professional, not looking that old though it was hard to tell. She was examining them silently, her men lingering around her with a nervous aura. Fenrir positioned himself closer to the door baring his teeth. His Father stood slightly back though still by his side with a smirk plastered across his face. His father should have seemed dwarfed beside him since Fenrir statue rose nearly above his Father's shoulders but he didn't. Instead his Father seemed tall and confident. His long raven hair fell around his shoulders with dried blood splattered all over his clothes making him look menacing and the grin maybe a little insane.   
  
"Loki, I'm going to have to ask you to move your _wolf_ to the back of the cage so we can transfer you for questioning." The woman said with a clear air of authority. There was a slight accent in her voice Fenrir didn't recognise.  
  
Fenrir let out a loud snarl and snapped his teeth at her.   
  
"And why would I do that?" Loki asked coolly with his eyes lingering elsewhere, wandering over the agents behind her.  
  
"It's that," the woman replied without a blink, "Or we'll force it back and drag you out and trust me you won't like how we do that and I'm sure your animal won't either."  
  
Fenrir watched through narrowed eyes as Loki titled his head to the side, looking at the woman with an unreadable expression.   
  
After a couple of seconds his Father broke eye contact and turned to him to murmur in Old Norse, "Move back to the far wall so they can open the door."  
  
His ears twitched and Fenrir narrowed his eyes at him, "Why? I could rip the apart for you the second they open the door."  
  
"I know." His father said in Old Norse, "but there's too many of them though."  
  
Fenrir growled a little, his hackles raised, "I could take them."  
  
Loki gave him a sharp look, "Don't be an idiot."  
  
Fenrir glanced at the group of men and the woman stood watching. They seemed tense, he could smell their sweat. He could take them, he knew he should, but his father was giving him _that_ look.   
  
He huffed and went over to the far corner. Fenrir slumber onto his stomach, giving Loki a sulky look, thumping his tail moodily. He caught Loki's eye roll before his face went serious and he stepped towards the doors. His arms were in front of him since his wrists were tightly handcuffed.  
  
The woman flicked a switch and the doors slid open without a sound. As his Father stepped out and the armed guards surrounded him leading him away he still looked like he was walking by his own choice. He looked so relaxed and confident like he was just going for a walk. His Father had glanced back for just a second and it was then he knew he really hadn't wanted to leave him on his own, even if he walked out with his head high and his lips curled into a confident smirk.  
  
Fenrir remained on the far side sulking on his own since the room was emptied. He'd noticed the woman had stayed for a couple of minutes talking on her device until she was called away. Apparently her name was Hill, he thought it was a bit of an odd thing to be named after.   
  
He sulked in the corner for a while until he caught sight of a woman walking past. She had short red hair, a jaw line that you could cut with and a tight cat suit. She strode past with a clear purpose, not even glancing at him as she disappeared off in the direction they had taken his Father.  
  
Fenrir must have dozed off at some point because he was jolted awake by the sound of heavy footsteps. Fenrir opened his eyes to see the armed agents escorting his father into the room. Fenrir stood up catching a glimpse of his father from a distance. His father was smirking at him, despite the fact he now had a large bruise, faint purple spanning along his left cheek bone. His hands were still held in front of him by the cuffs, though they were clenched.  
  
They must have been a metre from the glass cage when Fenrir saw Loki trip. He fell forwards, one of the agents reached out to catch him. He never got chance. Fenrir watched as his father wrapped the hand cuffs around the back of the man's neck and flipped himself over the agent. His father's feet struck the agent behind hard in the face sending him flying into the man at the rear. It was like a domino effect, half the men were on the floor scrambling over each whilst his Father took out the other men in a blur of attacks. One minute he was in one place the next he was gone. From what Fenrir could see his father was knocking each man out as quickly as possible, aiming each blow with deadly precision. Loki barely stopped moving so no agent could shoot; in fact they barely had time to react as he flew through the air with a dangerous grace. In less than a minute there was a pile of 15 knocked out agents and his Father hadn't broke a sweat.  
  
Fenrir moved up to the glass, his tail swishing as he watched his Father typing madly at the control panel. He could hear the beeps and clicks as his Father's fingers flew over the controls.  
  
He wanted to howl, his Father was going to release him and they would destroy these human on the Flying Fortress, together!  
  
"So you know your own way through the pathway to Sokovia, right?" Loki asked him, still using Old Norse.  
  
"Of course." Fenrir frowned.  
  
Alarms started blaring hurting his sensitive ears. Loki swore and rubbed the back of his neck.   
  
He left the console and instead picked up one of the stray guns.   
  
"Wait for me in Sokovia then."  
  
"Wait-" Fenrir paused, his eyes widening, "Are you not coming?"  
  
"I will." Loki promised, "I can't get the door open, it needs a code and I don't have time to crack it. This is the only way."   
  
"There's must be-"  
  
"There isn't." Loki glowered, his figure tense, "The longer you stay here the more at risk you are."  
  
"But-"  
  
"You're going to have to break your way out before you reach the ground or the impact may kill you." Loki aimed the gun and fired, the gun rocking back in his grip.  
  
The glass cracked under the bullet, the mechanism above creaked. Fenrir held his breath maybe it wouldn't break.   
  
"I'll find another way off." Was the last thing Fenrir heard before the mechanism released and the cage fell.  
  
He whined as the cage dropped, his head hitting the ceiling. As it fell it began to spin in the air. It was falling much too quick. It tumbled and span around and around, smacking against him as he was neither upside down or upright. He could glimpse the sky below and the strange aircraft above. Fenrir was falling fast and hard, much too fast for a landing to be safe. He could hear the rush of air past his ears and the pounding of his heart. He was being battered to pieces as the cage plummeted.

Ignoring the initial panic and the jittered fluttering of his heart, he propelled himself off the side of the cage across its diameter to ram himself against the cracked glass. The force was great enough to break free of the cage, shattering glass everywhere. The open air was cold and violent as the cage ripped past him, disappearing below as he continued to drop. He had to squeeze his eyes partly shut against the force of air. Fenrir fell and fell, free falling, down to Midgard and he wasn't over an ocean.

\---

Loki watched as the shot from his gun pierced the glass. The glass cracked all around the bullet like a spider web of shattered glass. The mechanism holding the cage creaked, the cage slipping slightly, and Loki thought for a moment it wouldn't drop. Loki caught the look of confusion in Fenrir's eyes before the clasps came undone with a click and the glass cage disengaged from the Helicarrier. It rushed and tumbled to the ground below, disappearing under the clouds leaving only a round hole in the ship.  
  
It felt like Déjà Vu. Loki had been here before, this time it was a gun rather than a button that had made it fall. It was his son rather than his _brother_. A look of confusion in the green eyes of a wolf rather than a look of betrayal in the blue eyes of the Thunderer. This time Loki hoped the occupant would get out before it crashed.   
  
There hadn't been another way otherwise he would have taken it. Sure Loki might have been able to crack the code but then what? Only the Norns knew how many men were on this ship. They would put up a good fight sure but there was no guarantee they would make it. Loki wasn't exactly bullet proof anymore. He couldn't land the carrier on his own, he could try he supposed. Fenrir was the only one out of the two of them who could survive the drop. Loki would find another way for himself.  
  
Loki couldn't let Fenrir be on here any longer. He wasn't sure it was safe for him to be here. Loki had been cooped up in _interrogations_ with Romanoff for a couple of hours now. Her methods were unusual... Loki swallowed a little.  He hadn't told them anything but if Romanoff's methods were the warm up then Loki could risk keeping Fenrir around.  
  
The alarms kept ringing over head with a bright flashing red that hurt his eyes. The agents were still sprawled across the ground, out cold from his attacks, and Loki could hear the pounding of footsteps from the direction of the corridor.   
  
His eyes flickered down to the gun in his hands.   
  
_"It would be easy"_ A voice in his head whispered, _"One shot... One bullet to the head..."_  
  
Loki could see it now. _He would raise the gun to his temple and the metal would rest there, firm and steady. He would suck in one last breath, enjoying its cool touch. His eyes would be trained steady in front of him.  Just as the doors burst opened he would pull the trigger. The bullet would split his skull, spilling blood everywhere and splattering his brains across the white walls. His body would slump forward and drop as his eyes finally went glassy. Blood would pool around his limp head and crumpled body. Loki would be dead. He would be free. He wouldn't have to live with whatever they tried to do to get information out of him, all this.. crap would be over.  
_  
No, that was cowardly. Selfish. Loki had tried that once and where had that got him? Lost in a void and into the hands of The Other, Loki remembered bitterly.  
  
He lowered the gun in his hands, letting it slip to the floor. The guards were close now. He could hear their footsteps not far off.  
  
Loki gazed at the hole in the ground left by the round cage. He could feel the howling wind on his face. It swept his hair back, sending appreciated shivers down his spine. He could see the white clouds rushing across the sky. The drop was long, Loki couldn't see the cage or the ground. It would kill him if he jumped. He wasn't going to jump, not again.

Loki looked away from the hole. Just because he'd never flown a craft such as this didn't mean he couldn't try. There might still be time for him to join his son, he would just need to find a way to land this craft and get off it.

The alarms were blazing over head and their lights flashing on and off. Heavy footfall was heading for the door. His eyes focused on the door in front of him that was still closed.

Loki didn't have his son, he didn't have an ounce of Æsir in his blood nor magic. He didn't even have a knife. Loki had never needed any of that - magic, Æsir heritage or weapons. Blood could be spilt, magic depleted and a knife blunted but he didn't need any of that. Loki never had.   
  
The doors were swung open with agents about to pour in. Loki ran forward and jumped, catching the metal frame of the door and swung himself forward. His boots crashed into an agent's face sending him flying back. Others fell like dominos as the agent tumbled. The group of agents were all too closely knitted for any of them to safely shoot him, instead one of them decided to swing their gun like a bat. Loki ducked, his back arching and his feet coming up into the air. His boots struck the agent under the chin and sent him flying. His legs came over his head as he completely the back flip, kicking the agent behind him in the motion of landing sending the agent head first through a set of doors.   
  
Loki fell into a familiar stance; legs slightly parted, fists ready and body loose. He almost sighed at his arms pinned in the cuffs. There was a short chain between the handcuffs which gave him a little movement but not as much as he was used to in a fight, though he would manage.  
  
Hands grasped his shoulders and dragged him back. Loki grinned slightly and this time arched his back forward grabbing the man's arms. He used the momentum to kick forward and wind an angry agent in front of him, before gripping tight and flipping the agent over his shoulders onto the ground. The man collapsed into a couple of agents knocking them down.   
  
An agent threw a punch but Loki easily dodged to the side. He grabbed the out stretched fist and twisted. The man cried out as it cracked. Still holding the arm Loki dragged him forward and kneed him hard in the waist causing the man to crumbling and fold in like a garden chair. This allowed Loki to get a clean and hard strike to the back of the agents head. The man fell down, with his eyes already rolled back.   
  
Loki's cuffs jingled as he jumped over the body, flipping onto his hands and then bringing himself forward into a kick straight into an agent's chest, knocking him down. An agent to the left struck him in the side. Loki grunted and grabbed him; bring his skull crashing into the agents face. The head butt caused the man to crumble and Loki spun, swinging his legs around to knock another agent off his feet. Loki stomped on his face hearing a sickening crack.  
  
He swung his leg hitting an agent in the kneecap causing him jerk to one knee which allowed Loki to stomp on a spot behind his calf that made him to fall forward. He struck him hard behind the head and the man crumbled, his leg twisted into an odd position. Grabbing the crumbled man by the hair Loki swung the body around to trip another agent. The agent dodged the body but went straight into range for Loki to kick him hard in the face.   
  
Another agent made a grab for him but Loki kicked him hard and wrapped the metal chain between his cuffs around his neck, choking the man. Dragging the man by his neck, ignoring the clawing and gagging noises, Loki cracked his head against the wall. Blood ran from a small gash, smearing down the wall, as he fell.  
  
Loki glanced side to side at the mass of bodies before darting forward. He went around one corner and down a long corridor. All he needed to do was get some sort of control centre and get the plane down and on the ground things would be easier.  
  
Around the next corner was a pack of guards. Loki cursed, ducking down to avoid a gun shot. He threw himself forward with a clear cold focus. He let himself spin and dance through air. The guards were grabbing at him, trying to hit a blow, but where ever they hit or grabbed he was no longer there. He used mostly his legs to take them out. Using practiced blows and kicks to vulnerable areas. His hands he used only for defensive moves, delivering end blows, grabs or flipping in the air. In under a minute every agent was down. They were sprawled out, twisted and unconscious. Some were going to be intensive care for a very long time. There was only a couple that might not even make it. Loki was convinced one had a collapsed lung and another a shattered spine.   
  
Disregarding any thought for the guards, Loki darted forward to a door, only to growl when it didn't open. The door was mechanically locked and couldn't be pushed or pulled. Loki could go back and around but then there was the chance of more agents, who were probably flooding the corridors. This was the shortest way to the control centre; he had to get in this way.  
  
There was a small panel by the side of the door with a glass screen that looked like some sort of scanner. The edging wasn't firmly bolted Loki noted with slight amusement. Using the curves of one of the metal links in his chains he was able to pry the metal casing away to reveal the electrical wiring. Loki carefully pulled the wiring out, uncoiling it and stared changing their order. He worked quickly, his fingers working nimbly, but found it took longer with the alarms blaring in his ears. 

He must have only need 10 seconds longer when he heard a shout from the end of the corridor. He glanced around spotting a figure that made him sink inside. He quickly fiddled with the wires, trying to twist the coils together, but the door still wasn't opening.  The man was now metres away from him with a large gun aimed at him and an unsmiling expression fixed on him.  
  
"Put your hands where I can see them." Fury ordered as he swept towards him with large strides, his long coat swishing behind him.  
  
Loki smirked, "Ah, Director so good to see you." His fingers were still fiddling with the wires in jerky motions though his eyes remained fixed on the gun.  
  
Fury looked at him stonily, his eye hard. As he came to a stop his long black coat fell down over his bulky boots. Fury even still had the same unimpressed expression that he had worn the day they had met. 

Loki could see agents pouring into the corridor behind the Director. They had similarly big guns pointed at him and were blocking any exit he could spot. The agents didn't even glance at their comrades on the ground that Loki had taken out. Some were staring to moan and shift from their spots on the ground but none had risen yet.  
  
"Turn around and put your hands in the air or I swear to God I will order my men to shoot." Fury threatened, ignoring his greeting.  
  
Loki eyed the men with their guns before turning his gaze to Fury. He could almost smell the sweat pouring off the men but not Fury. Fury was tense, his face edged with anger, but focused.  
  
"Only if you say please." Loki said with a flashing smile.  
  
Fury face turned dark and he nodded to his men. All the guns clicked, the nozzles turned to aim directly at him, expressions ready for a kill.   
  
Loki raised an eyebrow at the guns, letting out a long dramatic sigh as he let his fingers slip from the control panel.  
  
"Honestly, you apes have no manners." He drawled and raised his hands in front of him, the chain between them clinking against each other.  
  
Loki caught Fury gritting his teeth, "I have little manners or _patience_ for people that kill my agents."  
  
Loki let out a laugh, eyeing the groaning men on the ground, "I didn't kill them." He pointed out. Though he might have killed one or two depending on how soon they got medical attention.  
  
"Do you want a fucking medal?" Fury thundered, his teeth bared like a Rottweiler.   
  
"Well.. Now that you mention it, I would quite like-  
  
"Enough!" Fury snapped, "You have caused enough damage."

"Damage?" Loki inquired with raised eyebrows, "If it's your agents you are referring to you should really get some new ones, they are truly appalling fighters." He paused, tilting his head, "Or perhaps it was the cage I let loose?"

Fury gritted his teeth, the gun still pointing at him, "The moment that cage hits the ground it will create a creator killing anyone below."

"Oh dear.." Loki replied with fake distress.

"It will surely kill your _pet_ at impact." Fury's frown deepened, "What exactly was the purpose of letting it loose?"

Loki pulsed his lips for a second as if he was thinking, then slowly smirked, "I just really wanted to see it rain cats and dogs, so to speak." He let the smirk spread across his face into a grin, "I wonder if it landed in a children's play park or a housing complex. How are you going to explain that one.."

Fury scowled, "You better hope for your own sake that it isn't the case."

"Well -"

" _Enough!_ " Fury lashed, he had an expression that Loki knew meant he was probably at his last straw.  
  
Loki grinned, "Careful stress is a big killer in your age group."  
  
He could have sworn Fury's other eye was going to pop out.  
  
Loki quirked his lips as Fury motioned to the agents, muttering orders and shooting him a dark looks. Loki noticed one or two of the agents shifted uncomfortably but complied. Loki was dragged by the agents from the corridor, surrounded by twice the number of them. There was permanently a set of guns pointed at him and hands holding him so there was little he could do to stop them without being injured or shot. He saw medics were now tending to the knocked out men as he left, if they were lucky they would all live from his attack.  
  
Loki was led down the corridors of the carrier, flanked by agents that were a little too jumpy for his liking, especially with guns pointed at him. The last thing he needed was a trigger happy agent.

They moved down the maze of corridors, each looking the same as the other. It made it hard to map out the layout in his mind.  As they passed one corridor, Loki spotted Barton and Romanoff in a corner conversing quietly. They glanced up at him as he moved past. Romanoff had her endless blank expression but Barton wasn't as good, Loki could easily spot the micro-expressions on his face. Barton had a look of resentment in his eyes. Loki smirked at them as he was led on.  
  
They eventually came to a small room that he was unceremoniously thrown into. In fact it was less of a room and more of a reinforced cell. The walls were made of thick metal, the locked door was reinforced enough to withstand a number of hits from Mjolnir.   
  
Loki sank down onto the thin metal bench set into the wall, eyeing the blinking red light in the ceiling watching him. He glares at it. These humans loved their watching devices.  
  
He shifted looking down at his scuffed hands. The chains between his cuffs were heavy and rattled as he fiddled with them. His eyes slid up his bare arm. SHIELD had been more thorough than the Avengers, they had taken all his weapons. It had been funny watching the agents' faces as his weapons were piled high on the table. When they had thought they were done Romanoff had picked out more to add the pile of knifes, throwing stars and other weapons. Yes, it had been funny indeed, though it left him feeling lighter, less protected without his weapons.   
  
Loki rubbed at his arm. What bothered him about what they had confiscated weren't the weapons but the jewellery. They had taken his bracelet. They had taken one look at the runes on its surface and assumed it was of magical origin, they weren't wrong but now he was truly vulnerable. SHIELD didn't know what they had done. That bracelet was the only that thing had kept him hidden from prying eyes. Now anyone could find him, Heimdall would be able to see him if he looked. At least Fenrir was out of the picture after all if any Asgardian found him, it would be back to Gleipnir.   
  
Fenrir was a liability. Loki had been with SHIELD less than a day and they'd already set Romanoff on him. These humans obviously thought he was up to something, taking over the world kind of something. They thought he was still in league with Him, he was sure of it. They wanted to know what he was up to, why he had been in their files. They probably thought he was going to launch another attack with the Chitauri. They even thought he was behind their recent appearances. They were also highly suspicious of Fenrir.  
  
They'd probably set Romanoff on him because they thought their puny world was at stake again. He couldn't exactly say it wasn't. Romanoff's methods of interrogation were unusual and probably not legal in the slightest. If he was one of their own they would never have used those methods. How they would follow it up was a little worrying.

He stared at the wall, keeping his expression blank. It was worrying indeed.

\---

 

"Tony I thought you said you were going to bed." Bruce sighed from the doorway.  
  
Tony was laid back on the sofa with electronic folders open above him, all in a random mess. Computer code was dancing in front of his sore eyes as he continued to type.   
  
"I did." Tony flicked shut a file and opened up a different one, "I said that ten minutes ago, you sound like Pepper by the way."  
  
Bruce came into the living room, slipping onto one of the stools, "It's been 3 hours not 10 minutes."  
  
"That can't-" he glanced at the clock and groaned rubbing his eyes, "I'll just be a couple more minutes."   
  
"Will you though?" Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose before pushing his glasses up and squinting at the files, "What are you working on?"  
  
Tony sat up slightly, pushing a cushion behind him, with his eyes still fixed on the screen. His hand flitted across the glass table only to find an empty bottle. Disappointed, Tony swiped his hand closing all the files cluttering the air and swung his legs off the coach.   
  
"I'm working through the code of the virus Loki put into my system. It shouldn't have survived the security sweep the first time."  
  
Tony slipped around the back of the bar and swiped a bottle. He raised his eyebrow questioningly at Bruce but he shook his head. Tony smirked and took a swig.  
  
"Have you found anything then?"  
  
Tony shrugged, "It's a complicated code, though not too complex for moi," He grinned though it never quite reached his eyes, "It seemed to have hidden in Jarvis' primary code to avoid the security sweep and was only reactivated by Loki's voice command."  
  
"What exactly did it do when it was reactivated?"  
  
"Changed his clearance. It gave him level 1 access, he could control all doors, cameras, get Jarvis to do anything. None of the footage of Loki escaping has been recorded but from what Jarvis has said when the virus was reactivated all Loki had to do was turn the cameras off, get the doors open and off the fucker went."  
  
Tony took a deep swing, the alcohol burning his throat.  
  
Bruce took his glasses off, cleaning them on the end of his top, "But the virus is gone for real this time?"  
  
Tony almost slammed the bottle down but managed to not make it clatter against the table.  
  
"I guess." He grunted, "That's what I've been working on all this time."  
  
"Perhaps you should give it a rest." Bruce put his glasses on, regarding him with a weary expression, "You know, Loki getting out wasn't your fault."  
  
"Sure, sure." Tony said with a bright grin all teeth before sighing and running his hands through his hair. He stared down at the bottle. Its liquid was thick and resting still in the bottle as water droplet ran down its side from being kept at a low temperature. He stayed silent for a short time, staring into space. Something kept niggling at him, not letting his mind rest, and eventually Tony couldn't resist speaking. "Do you know what's getting to me about this whole situation with Loki?" He said in a low voice.

"No, What?"

"How this all connects..." Tony muttered, rubbing at his temples.   
  
"I'm not following you." Bruce's face screwed up slightly.  
  
"Think about it.. first we have Chitauri turning up a month after we thought they were gone, I can deal with that but then we have this Fatonos.."  
  
"Thanos." Bruce corrected.  
  
Tony waved his hand, "Yeah, yeah so this Thanos dude is showing up randomly all over the place with no real destination and then SHIELD dig up this informant who seems to know all about this guy and how he's the big bad even though we've never heard of Thanos. _Then_ 3 months later Loki shows up at my doorstep _killing_ Chitauri, gets rough with the big boss who we had thought was his mate. Not only that but he now has a new pal who is pretty much Clifford the Big Red Dog."  
  
"I think he's more of a big black wolf."  
  
"Details," Tony chided, "Seriously who runs around with a wolf? Anyway.." He tapped his fingers on the table, picking up his trail of thought, "So it turns out Loki has been hiding in New York for 3 months and is connected to a 100 random murders despite the fact he should be in Viking prison or whatever. He breaks into my tower and sieves through seemingly pointless files and then disappears. Am I not seeing something here? Something doesn't feel right at all. Like did you see what Rudolf was wearing? What happened to the leather get up? He's even acting different.."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He seemed-" Tony squinted, "Less crazy and less 'kneel before me you mewling quims'."  
  
"Loki seemed the same crazy to me."   
  
Tony sighed, "Never mind."  
  
He took another sip of the bottle before slipping it under the counter and moving to stand by the window. He stared out into the dark city light up by office lights that looked like hundreds of buzzing fireflies. The cars far below seemed like crawling ants, barely moving in the New York traffic below him.  
  
"At least tell this- Is it me or does all this Chitauri, Thanos - Loki thing not add up to you?" Tony asked not turning to look at where Bruce was sat.  
  
There was a short pause. "No you're right it doesn't. We were stumped when small numbers of Chitauri started appearing all around the world for spurts of time with seemingly no reason. Now that Loki's back in the picture.."  
  
Tony nodded, "What the hell is Loki's play?"  
  
"Who knows?"  
  
Tony turned, licking his lips thoughtfully, "Perhaps that mysterious SHIELD informant knows."  
  
"Ask Coulson about it," Bruce slid from the chair, "Anyway you should get some sleep and think about this in the morning."  
  
Tony slumped back on the sofa, "Maybe later,"   
  
"You do realised Cap is coming back from that mission tonight?"  
  
Tony looked up, "...He is?"  
  
Bruce nodded, "You don't want to be half asleep when you have to explain what he's missed."  
  
He narrowed his eyes, "What mission was Capsicle on anyway?"  
  
"Not really sure. I heard Clint say something about Hydra."  
  
"Those Nazi pricks? That's just great."  
  
Bruce grumbled in agreement, "If you go to bed now you'll get a couple of hours before he gets here. You never know Thor might be here as well."  
  
Tony perked up, "Has Thor finally got in contact?"  
  
Bruce shook his head, "I'm sure he will soon."  
  
"Riiiight," Tony said with a raised eyebrow.  
  
He swung himself up, grabbing the bottle. Tony walked to the door before turning back to Bruce.  
  
"If anyone needs me I'll be in bed, so don't need me." Tony grinned.   
  
Bruce looked relieved as Tony walked away. It was a good thing Bruce didn't realise this way wasn't to the bedroom, Tony thought as he took a long swing from the bottle.

\---

  
Loki stared at the wall, tracing the lines that divided the metal into squares. It was almost hypnotising. Loki almost forgot where he was, where Fenrir was. The walls of the cell seemed to fade as he focused on the squares, letting his mind sink into a silence. There were always whispers at the edge of the silence he had created but he blocked them out from becoming shouts and mocking sniggers.  
  
When they came for him, it was rough. He was physically hauled out of the cell, guns pointed at him, and lead down a hall. Loki could see Romanoff at the door to a room that he was towed quickly into. He didn't get more than a glimpse of her before the door was slammed and locked.

Loki stays silent as the agents dragged him roughly to a chair. Its back was almost parallel with the ground so that when he was forced into the chair, jarring his spine, he was lying back. The chair elevated his legs so they were tilted above his head causing blood to rush down, which would have given him an almost dizzy feeling if he wasn't too busy glaring. They removed the chain between the cuffs and forcibly chained his hands down to the chair arms.   
  
He didn't recognise the people in the room. There was a couple who didn't look like guards but instead looked like high up agents. It didn't matter in the end.   
  
His legs were also chained down to the chair. It was done tighter than necessary. Petty, very petty. Loki couldn't move anything apart from his head.  He tilted his head to look around the room. It looked very much like the cell he had been in, except it was bigger by a couple of meters and had bone white flooring and walls unlike his cell that had cold grey walls instead.  Loki spotted a massive container of water to his right. His eyes widened an inch, his body tensing as he forced back a flinch. The water was cold, he told himself repeatedly in his head.  
  
A woman, with a tight bun of tawny brown hair, stood over him flanked by two male agents. Her face was stern and tense. She had frown lines slowly forming around her face, showing she wasn't a young as she had once been. Her grey eyes were piercing, sharp but empty of the fear he was used to seeing in the guards' eyes who she must over qualify.

  
"This is how this is going to work," She stood closer to him than he would have liked, "Things are going to be very uncomfortable for you, until you tell us why you are here, what you're doing here, your plans with the Chitauri and any other questions we have."

Loki sneered at her, his arms twisting in their bindings.   
  
"We will get the information out of you either way," She said with such annoying certainly, "You will save yourself a lot of problems if you tell us now."  
  
"I think I'll kill you first." Loki smirked, his eyes gleaming, "I'll rip that pitiful tongue from your mouth and watch you choke on your own blood."  
  
Her expression didn't falter. She jerked her head at the other agents, "That was your last chance."   
  
A leather band was slid over his forehead holding his head in place against the chair. He squeezed his shaking hands into curled, stiff, tight balls.  
  
Suddenly everything went dark as cloth lay against his skin blocking the light so that everything was dimly black. Loki breathed shallowly. The air was harder to draw with the fabric over his face but not impossible, it was more hot and stuffy than anything else.  
  
Loki caught the sound of water sloshing from side to side before he felt the chill of water rushing across the fabric. The icy cold water against his face, causing him to shiver inside, as he tried to draw air from the sopping cloth but found none came as it acted like a one way barrier for oxygen. Loki could breathe air out through his nose but couldn't draw any in against the barrier of water. It disrupted his breathing rhythm causing him to breathe in and out erratically. There was no air to take in so breathing became jerky. Water ran against his face as he spluttered. His chest became uncomfortable tight as he slowly suffocated.  
  
He gasped in and out, his lungs burning. Loki started choking as his lungs became empty and deflated. His chest trembled with effort but there was no air left. He gasped in with his mouth accidently allowing water to pour in. The water filled his throat, nose and synapses. Loki pushed with the last of his breath knocking the water out of his nose and coughing the water from his mouth. It didn't help because more water gushed in, filling his nose and mouth,  and he tried to expel it by coughing it out but by this point there was no air left, no pressure to use.   
  
The water trickled down into his respiratory tract and the second it touched his tract it set something off. All hell broke loose. His mind went blank and he panicked. He started kicking out and twisting against the bounds. His body was convinced he was drowning. He kicked and fought, probably bruising his ankles and wrists. Water was pressing against his gag reflect but he couldn't cough it up. He was drowning.   
  
His hands twisted in the restraints and Loki chocked as he gulped in and out desperately but only got more water. The water painfully pressed against the sides of his mouth, filling his nose canal and synapses. His body jerked and quivered as the water seeping in. His primordial senses screaming as the water felt like acid against his tract. It was wrong, it felt _wrong_.  
  
Dots appeared in his vision and his kicking became feebler. His lungs burned despite it being full of icy cold water. Loki struggled against the restraints as he drowned. His mind was floating between the consciousness and sleep as it began to shut down.   
  
The cloth was yanked away and the white lights above nearly blinded him with the sudden stimulus. He coughed up the water, spluttering a little as it was painfully expelled from his tract and airways. He sucked in air, enjoying its soft taste in his lungs. The dizziness subsided after a couple of seconds but his head still spun and ached.   
  
"Why are you here?" She hissed.  
  
Loki rasped, "I'm on holiday."  
  
"Why are you here?" She repeated with more heat, the cloth threateningly close.   
  
His hands curled tight, still sucking in air in small pants. He gave her a look, "Thought you people were all for human rights?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow, "You don't have any human rights."  
  
"Really?" Loki blinked, "I don't even get a lawyer?"  
  
Her lips curled.  
  
He admitted goading her was probably not helping.   
  
The cloth came back on and he held his breath this time, holding onto the oxygen. Water poured over and made the cold cloth stick to his face but holding his breath stopped water seeping in to his respiratory system. As seconds ticked by his lungs started to burn, his fingers digging into his palm from the effort of holding his breath.   
  
Loki was suddenly struck hard in the stomach and involuntary gasped out. Through his open mouth water seeped into his lung tracts and he panicked as he gurgled against the water but couldn't cough the water out nor breathe. The water was cold in his respiratory system as it pressed against the sides of the canals. He heaved and choked with no oxygen. It hurt like something heavy had been placed on his chest. He couldn't breathe and his lungs were burning like they were on fire.  His nails clawed into the armrests but he barely noticed the blood damping his fingers as a nail came away. Loki twisted and turned, trying to pull himself free, with his body screamed out as it panicked. His head span and span as the blackness drew near. It was like he was drowning on land. His limps were going weak and he couldn't feel them as his head went going slack.   _He was going to die._  
  
The cloth came away and he coughed up the water, gasping weakly.   
  
"Feel like talking, now?"  
  
Loki wheezed up some more water before swearing at her in Old Norse.  
  
She raised an eyebrow, "Pardon?"   
  
"Go fuck yourself." He spat at her as water dripped from his hair onto the floor.  
  
Her lips twisted and she nodded.  
  
The cloth came back on and soon water was seeping into his lungs and he was struggled weakly, his arms twisting and his legs kicking, neither moving much. The icy water choked him stopping any breath from being drawn. Water cut off his air ways as his synapses were filled. There was a white panic that set in as his body became convinced it was drowning.  
  
This was how it went. She would take the cloth off, ask a question, and Loki would tell her nothing and then he would drown again. Just as Loki thought he was going to faint the cloth would be pulled away and he would choke up the water. They did it over and over and over again. Water seeping into his lungs and tight wet fabric cutting off his breath as he slowly and agonizingly drown over and over, trapped in a permanent gurgling panic. Even if his body was merciful enough to faint, they just brought him back.   
  
"Have you changed your mind on talking?"

Loki spat at her, "I promise I will talk when I've sliced off your ears and ripped your tiny spine from your body." He said, gasping against his tight, sore throat.  
  
She nodded and the cloth was lowered again.

Unlike other things he had experienced there was something different about this. When the cloth was lowered onto his face and he breathed slowly there was no fear. Even as water gushed over his face cutting off the oxygen, causing his body to twist and struggle as he slowly suffocated, he felt little fear. It was when the water poured down his throat, nose and mouth and pressed against his synapses that is became unbearable. The horrible feeling of water gurgling in his throat as he couldn't choke or gasp, in the panic of drowning, was something terrible in itself. Every time they lowered the cloth and poured water down his throat it was like drowning. As time went on Loki drown over and over again without the release of death. It was cruel, it was unnatural to drown for so long but with no death to follow. Only when he drew near to unconsciousness, water choking him causing pain in his chest, weakness and fuzziness with his body shutting down, only then was the cloth lifted.  
  
Every time the cloth was lifted he gave them no answer; despite the fact he began to want to, even if it earned him only a couple of seconds of peace. Loki wanted to explain he wasn't behind the Chitauri appearance, that he didn't know there plans and how he had not chosen to stay on Midgard but he didn't tell them that. He didn't tell them anything, even as they drown him to the point of a painful death before drawing him back and drown him again, still he told them nothing. As time dragged on, Loki found the woman's voice grew more aggravated or it might have been him becoming a bit delirious from lack of oxygen, he couldn't tell. Either way they simply drown him over and over, causing him to lose any sort of logic. His mind was blank with white panic, like a trapped animal. Being so close to death but never reaching it, there was no peace in that.  
  
Loki coughed up the water and gulped for air, shivering at the cold water dripping from his hair onto the floor. His eyes were barely open as the cloth was lowered again. They hadn't let him eat or rest, just continuously drown him.  
Eventually they undid the bindings and dragged him from the chair. His legs shook like a newborn foal and he breathed in deeply in quick pants as he was pulled along. He was somewhat thankful for the break, though he didn't show it on his face.  
  
Loki sneered at the female agent, who's eyes seemed to be dark like thunder.  His tract ached from the water exposure so when he spoke his voice came out like gravel. "You think you're better than Hydra," Loki grated. "But you're not. You may fly under a different banner but you're all the same in the end. You've cut off so many of their heads that eventually you're the ones that grew in their place."  
  
He spat straight into her face. Her face twisted into rage as the spit slowly ran down her cheek.   
  
His mind was still a little fuzzy, his limps weak and his mind muddled from oxygen deprivation, so he wasn't sure who struck him first. He was hit in the face and knocked onto the ground, jarring his side. Hard kicks collide into his side and he grunted as they rained against him. Pain shot through him but he couldn't scramble away, he couldn't raise his shackled hands. He heard something crack and he gasped out. There was yelling and shouting that he couldn't make sense of. Feet crashing into his side and a couple in his face as he curled in, blood dripping down his face from the kicks.  As the assault continued there seemed to be some hands grappling with others to try and pull them away from him. The rain of hits eventually came to a stop and it seemed whoever was behind them was gone. In their place male hands hooked under his arms and dragged him up and across the room.  
  
He spat insults at them through his bloody lips, glaring at them through a fuzzy vision. Loki heard a click of his cuffs being attached to some sort of metal hoop, as he was set on the ground, and caught a flicker of red hair. Not a man then, a woman. His mind was too fuzzy to think straight but he knew that face. He knew the man behind her too with what looked like a bow strapped to his back.  
  
Loki let his eyes fall shut as his back rested against the wall. His body ached and he could feel the kicks like they were still being inflicted. His mouth stung from the water exposure as he breathed heavily but he was glad that they were no longer filled with water. He hadn't told them anything, he reminded himself, that was some sort of victory. Loki could hear faint murmuring but he zoned it out. The cool drags of wet hair stuck to his cheek as he wheezed.  
  
It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder that his eyes flew open. Barton was inches from his face, frowning at him. He lunched away from his grip, hissing as his stomach jolted at a pain of something feeling broken. Loki cursed in Old Norse, threatening to rip him apart. Barton ducked away towards the door seeming to get the message. Loki caught a woman sounding like Romanoff saying "told you so" as the door shut.  Staring ahead, he spat blood onto the ground and he yanked angrily at the cuffs. There was a pang of pain that shot from his wrists, meaning they were probably bruised and cut. One of his fingers was still bleeding from an empty nail bed. He remained like that for a short time, staring at the white wall, enjoying being able to breathe in air even if it was only a painful wheezing.  
Loki heard the clicking of the woman's shoes as the door opened. He thought he caught the sound of rain in the distance, pounding down on the Helicarrier. As the two male agents moved towards him his stomach twisted at the thought of being back on the damp table across the room. No, he wouldn't go back there. 

The agents moved forward and unclipped the chain from the rung. Loki's eyes slowly flitted around. Unlike before there was no guns pointed at him, there was less agents and even the woman's gun holster was empty. He wanted to twist his face in disgust but he kept it fixed and expressionless. It would have only hurt anyway since it was bruised from where Romanoff had hit him and from the mob of agents' assault.    
  
As one of the two agents dragged him to his feet, he kicked out. His knee struck the man in the kidney and the agent stumbled with a grunt. Loki elbowed the other agent across the face sending him into the wall.   
  
Loki crouched, wincing at the pain it caused to his side, and drew his knife from his boot. The knife in his hand flickered for a second like a computer glitch. It felt weightless, blinking in and out of sight, but after a moment it appeared firmly in his hand. Its green snake eyes gleaming in the light as Loki gripped the blade tight.  
  
The agent recovered from the kick but he didn't recover from a blade through his spine. Blood spilled out as Loki pulled the knife out and the man fell forward cracking his head on the white floor. After a short struggle with the other agent, who kicked and struggled as Loki tried to hold him still, Loki slit his throat. He let the body fall in a pool of blood. It was thick and red against the pale floor, sticking to his shoes, but he paid it no attention.  
  
Loki turned to the woman, the one he really wanted. She was rushing for the door, despite the fact there was no door handle on this side. His face twisted into a grin as she spun around to find him right behind her. She had little time to react before the chain between his cuffs was wrapped around her neck and tugged tight. She clawed at her throat, struggling viciously against him. She tried to claw at his eyes but he ducked away, tightening the chain. She made odd gurgling noises as she desperately tried to breath against the tight chain. He waited grimly, watching her struggling for air just like he had been.  
  
Her struggles and flails got weaker and her eyes bulging as a minute ticked by. She kicked at his ribs causing him to hiss in pain. They felt broken or at least fractured. There was little he could about them at the moment apart from ignore the ache and tightness.  
  
When Loki felt her about to lose consciousness he suddenly released his chain, causing her to slump forward. She gasped for air and coughed rubbing her neck. Loki gripped her hair and pulled her head back, revealing a bruise already forming along her throat. Her eyes were wide but glazed over, matching her pale face.  
  
He slipped a knife behind her ear and whispered into her other, "Don't say I don't ever keep my promises."  
  
Her mouth formed an O just before she screamed. Her ear fell to the ground as it was cut away under a clean swipe of the blade. Blood dripped down her neck, disappearing down her collar. She wiggled and squirmed as he pulled her head back and sliced her other ear off. She cried out, gasping and struggling.  
  
The door flung open and agents stood, blocking the entrance, pointing large guns at him.   
  
"Drop the knife!"  
  
Loki chuckled, licking at the dried blood on his lips. He pulled her up in front of him as a shield and took a couple of steps back.   
  
He slipped the knife into her skin drawing it across her skin, slowly making an insertion below her neck. She made a slight gasp as the cut was made. He slipped his hand into the insertion. It was warm and wet from blood and pulsing tissue as he reached in to wrap his fingers around her spine. She let out a moan, her breath quick and shallow. Her face was pale and lolling to the side like she was going into shock.  
  
"Release the Agent!"  
  
He smirked and pulled. The spine came away from the agent's body with a sickening, cracking sound. It was like hearing the crunch of Autumn leaves under foot as the spine came away. The vertebrae snapped and her spine broke. The female agent fell to the ground, twitching in blood and spinal fluid. Her eyes were glassy and her lips spread into a shape of permanent surprise. Her spine hung out of her back, white against the red muscle and blood.   
  
Loki slipped his knife into his jeans, sighing at the blood covering his hands and part of his metal cuff. He looked at the agents slightly horrified expressions and smirked.   
  
"Put your hands in the air!" One of the agents ordered with a slightly tremor in his voice.   
  
Loki raised an eyebrow making no attempt to move his hands. He eyed the agents looking for a gap or a weakness but with no long range weapon he would be shot before he reached them. After he got past them he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to any sort of control room. He was running on borrowed energy. His ribs ached and his airways stung. He just wanted to shut his eyes and rest. He couldn't even have that. Rest wouldn't come if they tried to drown him again.  
  
He heard fast footsteps down the hall and a slight murmur. Before Loki could work out what was going on a new agent pushed himself into the throng holding an odd looking gun and with no warning fired. The shot was too fast to track with his eye let alone dodge. One moment there was a crack of a shot the next he felt a sharp prick in his shoulder. He hissed stumbling back and pulled out a needle like contraption from his skin.   
  
"What in Mímir's balls is this?" Loki snarled, throwing the needle aside with a powerful swipe. He rubbed his shoulder as it began to ache faintly.  
  
"A mixture of sedative and suppressant."  
  
His eyes flickered to the voice of an agent in a white lab coat. He definitely hadn't been there before.  
  
"Suppressant?" His eyes narrowed, feeling a little nauseous all of a sudden.   
  
The man nodded, "For the _magic_ and other such things."  
  
Loki opened his mouth to retort but the world suddenly seemed to tilt and he stumbled. He righted himself but he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. It felt like everything was hot and cold at the same time. His forehead was burning but his arms were shaking and shivering from cold. Something wasn't right, he could felt something burning through his veins like poisonous and his mouth so felt numb he couldn't speak. Not that that would have made a difference. What would he have said? It wasn't like he could tell them he didn't have magic and have them believe him. Humans and their inventions- messing with things they couldn't understand.   
  
Whatever was in the dart was making him sway on his feet like he was drunk. He could feel a buzz rush across his chest like a warm spasm. Nausea rose through him like a powerful tidal wave and crashed down on him. Loki had no control as he folded forward and vomited violently across the floor. He felt no better as he rose back up. The smell of sick was strong, burning his nose like bleach, and nearly making him throw up again.  
  
Loki stepped back on shaky legs with his hand pressed on the cold wall. It was a comforting feeling as his palm grew damp against the walls surface. His eye sight was fuzzy as he felt his legs starting to buckle. He gripped onto the wall, everything becoming white, red and black blurs.   
  
He couldn't focus on what was happening to him. Everything felt wrong. His legs and arms didn't feel like his own, they were heavy and hot like lead.  
  
Loki felt hands wrap around his arms and shoulders as they grabbed and dragged him. He twisted in their grip, making out blackish-blue blurs of agents around him, but not quite able to work out what was happening. His limps were like that of a new born. His breath was fast and shallow and his head slightly slumped as his eyelids sagged.  
  
Loki was vaguely aware of the sound of clicking of shackles as he was put back on a flat surface. Apart from that nothing made sense. Everything was fuzzy and hazy.  
  
"Nei.." Loki mumbled as he pulled fruitlessly at the shackles, "Nei.. Stoppe.."   
  
His mouth was dry and sticky and his head was spinning, his thoughts jumbling.   
  
Loki felt a chill slowly run up his leg, like goosebumps or a cold hand brushing against him. Loki's head flopped to the side and his bleary eyes opened to catch sight of his arm. He froze as his eyes widened and his lips parting with no sound coming out. He wanted to scream.  
  
His head was throbbing as he stared at his arm. His skin was no longer creamy white. Instead, like a white cloth dipped in ink, his leg was slowly turning blue. Loki could feel the chill curling up his legs rising up his chest as his body turned from white to a sapphire blue and he could only stare on as white ridges appeared along his skin. A panic rose in him as the blue spread out, rolling over his skin, covering him from head to toe until even his eyes changed.

It was like he got brain freeze. One moment his head was fuzzy from the drug and then the next it was stabbed with a sharp pain and everything cleared. His eye sight sharpened and he stared down at himself, no longer feeling groggy.  
  
Loki flinched when he caught sight of the skin on his arm. It was a discoloured silver and red colour, bumpy and sagging. Some parts of his skin stuck out having hardened into red angry blotches. Loki could see other marks, red cuts across his legs. Some were straight, others like tree branches spreading out in a grotesque manner. There wasn't an inch of his blue skin that wasn't marked.   
  
He stiffened. Loki gasped in and out.  
  
His skin felt a sudden prickly like pain shooting through him. His arms and legs felt weird as if something was burning. He started shifting uncomfortably. His eyesight went blurry and everything was unfocused again.  
  
Loki moaned as something surged through him. His blood burned like acid and his head felt like it was being stabbed.   
  
Some of his skin flickered back to white and then to blue. Blood started running from his nose and felt warm against his cracked lips. He felt hands trying to hold him down as he started convulsing. Their hands must have become instantly frostbite since no hand touched him again as he jerked and kicked.   
  
He stared up at the agents but they no longer had human faces. Loki shrank back. The face was covered in metal with small beady eyes looking down at him, grey skin so much darker in this light. He twisted in his restraints, his breath caught in his throat.  
  
"No no no..."   
  
His chest froze and tensed. Loki barely noticed his breath rushing in and out as he stared at the horrible alien face over him. Panic rose in his throat and he felt a scream pierce through the air before cutting off into a pathetic sob.   
  
Pain shot through him, his skin felt like it was burning and peeling back. It was as if his blood was boiling and melting away to let his muscle become goo and slush in his carcass.  
  
He felt a needle pierce his skin, the alien face hovering above him grinning and spitting out a hissing sentence he didn't understand. Loki gasped as he felt an ache of a strange liquid being forced into his bloodstream. 

Loki could hear thunder crashing above as he burned from inside out. His breath ragged, almost breathing too fast to the point of hyperventilation as he tried to jerk away from the alien above him. The alien put a clawed hand on his chest. Its talons tore through his blue skin and he let out a scream, twisting in the restrains, panic chocking him as he tried to get away from the grinning creature above him. Blood dripped down his chest from the tear as the alien snapped its teeth making a grating sound.  
  
Loki was vaguely aware of rain rattling down as the room jerked and thunder rumbled far away.  
  
His skin slowly faded back to white but it still hurt. Whatever they had injected into him felt like it was being rejected. It felt wrong. His arms and legs twisted involuntarily as he stared bleeding from the mouth. The alien above him laughed in an odd high pitch screech. It towered over him making him flinch back.   
  
"ikke ekte.." Loki gasped.  
  
He could feel moisture running down his face. His legs were shivering and tensing under the presence of the metallic, snapping face hovering over him.  
  
Loki could barely see, his eyes blinded with pain. It felt like he was being clawed from the inside out. Blood was pouring from his mouth and he gasped for air between his cries and moans.  
  
There seemed to be shouting and screaming now added to his own. A door was crashed against a wall.   
  
Loki screamed, as pain shot through him, despite his throat being raw. The figure of the alien in glinting armour faded and he twisted and turned in panic seeing only blurry white and red. The alien was nowhere in sight. Somehow that was worse. He choked on his breath, his heart crashing and his breath stuttering.   
  
Someone was calling his name. The voice was deep and his name from those lips familiar. Loki felt arms encircle him and lift him up off the ground.  
  
His mind was hazy. He was dangling from the floor with someone murmuring to him in his ear. All he could do was let out a moan as his veins seemed to blister and burst. Loki caught sight of blurry long blonde hair as the thunder clapped over head and rain pounded outside. Loki cared little that he seemed to be being carried out of the room. He just wanted to fall into a slumber, far from the mocking grey face.  
  
"ikke ekte.." Loki mumbled, through bloody lips.  
  
Loki could smell the faint scent of rain and feel the buzz of thunder as it crashed above. It was familiar and unnerving but he couldn't remember why.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I wrote the first draft quickly.. well quickish, but the second time through most of the scenes were soon extended or changed which is the cause of the wait. Also research took quite a while. I had to do a lot of research into water boarding just so I could get the scene as close as possible, so i hope i didn't butcher it! The other research was into fighting techniques (well it was more of continued research) so I apologize for the wait!
> 
> Thank you for all of the comments so far, they really help me continue to write and edit when my patience or attention is waning. I hope this chapter is okay, I eventually had to just let it go instead of obsessing over it being just right.


	11. To Tame A Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: minor torture, gore and tiny non-con touching ish? and a disclaimer to any Emetophobes

Time was moving differently, it was fluid and without matter, moving along separate from him. A second was both an hour and a minute as there was no way to tell the difference. To track time took a type of awareness that Loki didn't have in his blurred and unfocused state. The throbbing of pain made time seem longer than it probably was. Yet, frustratingly, he had no way of knowing.  
  
He couldn't tell what was real and what was a creation of his mind was. Loki was vaguely aware he was dangling high off the ground. His head was supported and his legs were not dangling free, it was also faintly warm, almost comforting. Where Loki hung was something he didn't know, neither what suspended him but wherever he was seemed better than the room he had been in before. In reality he was aware he could still be there with another agent ready to start over the interrogation, ready to start the drowning again, to extract information he didn't really have. At least in this reality or vision he was free to breathe, even if right now it came out as shallow pants as his chest burned.   
  
Loki thought he could hear heavy footsteps below him but he wasn't walking. His eyes were barely open and what he could see through the slits was bleary and white. Loki could feel the cold metal of armour against his cheek, arms wrapped around his loose body, and the burning heat through his scorched veins.   
  
There was shouting. At least he thought there was. There was a booming voice, like a clap of thunder, and there were lower voices too, groups of mice squeaking and squealing. He was jolted from side to side as the noise rattled in his ears in an unbearable screaming orchestra. Adding to it, almost drowning it out, was laughter. It was all around him, crashing off the walls and seeping under his skin, a screeching metallic cackle that made his ears bleed and his skin grow cold. His breath became shallow as the sound grew closer, enveloped around him, with the shine of metal creeping into his vision. Loki escaped into the darkness as his body sank into the encircling arms. The laughter vanished into the roaring silence.

  
\---

  
Time moved, rushing forward, pooling like water with little attention paid to him. It all seemed a blink of an eye for he had rested his eyes for just a moment, the full pain humming inside, yet when he opened them he wasn't in the same place. There was no booming voice, no laughter or squeaks. There wasn't any white, only black.  
  
His eyes flickered open to find rain thrashed down on him partially blinding him as it struck him in the face. It was cold and painful, like hail, as it lashed him with the force of a whip. He twisted wildly, his heart crashing, his feet met no ground which caused him to kick and struggle fruitlessly.   
  
Everything was dark, rain crashed down, as clouds above roared and crackled with thunder. There was great rushing in his ears as air shot past him, dragging his hair back. His stomach dropped as he twisted to see no visible ground in the darkness. He was suspended high above, moving through the sky, as the cold wind screamed past, twisting and soaring with raw power.  
  
He started struggling as panic set in. His head twisted wildly at the nightmare images.  
  
Something tightened around him, he grunted in pain, automatically clawing at what seemed to be soft flesh. The pain in his side spiked through him and his gaze sharpened. Above him, Loki saw there was a familiar hammer aloft in a firm grip and around his stinging side was another hand stopping him from falling downward.   
  
Loki ceased struggling as he realised if the hand was to lose grip he would fall and to fall from this height would surely kill him. He stilled, his heart pounding in his chest and his legs swaying at the lack of ground.  
  
Rain lashed down upon his skin, wetting his face, as lightning spread out in a terrifying spider web of white, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.   
  
Blue eyes flickered to meet his and his chest suddenly tightened as his mind made sense of the bizarre circumstance. Thor's blonde hair was wet and tangled, his knuckles white around Mjölnir. The sky was too dark to make out anything else, even Thor's face was masked. They were moving fast, high above the ground, if there was one. Loki couldn't make out where they were going.

This was bad. This wasn't part of his plans. He needed to be in New York not where ever this oaf was taking him. He needed to be away from Thor, he didn't know how much he knew or his motives from taking him. This complicated things, Fenrir was waiting for Norns sake. He didn't need this right now. He didn't want it. Thor would just drag him off to another cell, Asgard perhaps, or worse a pity party.  Just a glimpse of his face set his teeth on edge, he didn't want his help or whatever this was.  
  
Loki groaned through closed lips as a pain in chest sparked. It felt like he was splitting in half as he felt something graze inside him with a sharp pressure. He must have broken a rib; it felt like it was rubbing against his chest, maybe piercing his lung.

He felt himself flicker in and out of consciousness. Whatever they had injected him was still running through his veins. It made him feel weak and ache all over.

Either way there was little Loki could do while they were in the air. He couldn't even reach for his blade. If Thor fell so would he and he knew only one of them would survive that. He didn't understand why Thor had taken him from SHIELD. He didn't need his interference he was capable of finding his way out. The second he landed he would have to try and make a run for it but it would have been a lot easier to get out of SHIELD than this mess. However there was no way he was going to let himself be dragged back to Asgard if that was Thor's plan or to suffer his infuriating company because of his pity and _brotherly love._  
  
He felt himself slipping away again, the edge of his vision blurring. He realised that when he tried to make an escape he might not even have the strength. His throat was raw, his body bruised, a rib broken and he had a desperate need for sleep, all not good traits for an escape.  As Loki slipped back into unconsciousness, his eyes rolling back, he saw a flicker of Fenrir falling. He needed Fenrir to be okay. 

When they landed it was sudden. Thor landed with his feet digging deeply into the ground whereas Loki stumbled, the dust flying around his feet, and pain shooting through him legs from the quick impact. Rain was still pouring down and down in sheets with the echo of thunder high above. His clothes stuck to his skin having been completely soaked.  
  
He felt a wave of nausea come over him and squeezed his eyes slightly trying to fight it, shivering against the feeling. It was horrible like fighting a wave of surging water.  
  
Loki could see they were in front of a Texan house. It was small and rusty looking with the curtains drawn shut so no light poured out to illuminate where they were stood. It was dark and raining too hard to make out many of its details but Loki could see the wooden shutters weren't clamped shut. They were swinging back and forth banging against the wall as the wind rushed through.   
  
A powerful wave of nausea rocked over him and Loki folded forward out of Thor's grip and violently threw up into the dirt. Loki barely missed his feet as it splattered on the ground. He could feel a hand on his back that he wanted to shrug off but he was too busy heaving. Any thoughts of running were partly forgotten for the terrible nauseating feeling that took him. His whole mouth tasted foul and acidic.  
  
When he finally pulled himself up, feeling a bit better, light was shining out of an open doorway. A figure was cupping their hands and shouting something that might have been Thor's name but it was lost in the storm.  
  
He suddenly found himself being dragged by his arm across the yard and up onto the porch. His head was reeling and his fingers were tingling in a particularly unpleasant manner. He let Thor drag him along, after all what was he going to fight Thor off with? He could throw up on him he supposed with a slight sneer. Either way his legs were wobbly and could barely hold him up let alone help him run or fight.  
  
He could make out a young girl, who had shouted, standing just inside the house. Her brown hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail and her glasses that resembled something he remembered hearing as "hipster" were perched on her nose, almost hiding her dark, tired looking eyes. Her clothes looked casual, a hoody and some jeans, yet she was showing some serious curves even in the dim light. She seemed familiar but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.  
  
Loki was dragged through the doorway, out of the pouring rain, and into what seemed to be a living room. Loki was instantly struck with how much warmer it was being away from the strong wind and the cold of outside. The living room itself looked quite simple; a couple of sofas, a TV and walls that were plain apart from a couple of picture frames but what he liked best was the warmth coming from the fire place. It was a shame it was one of those fake fires with a lit up image of flames yet no sound of crackling or smell of burning wood.

 

Thor was partly holding him up as they moved in but he could feel part of his strength coming back even if it was only to allow him to see straight. As the girl closed the door behind them her eyes widened, darting back and forth between him and Thor like she was seeing a ghost.   
  
"Holy crap."   
  
Thor frowned at the comment and Loki scowled trying to squirm out of Thor's grip but it was now too tight. It made his rib sting and left him short of breath from the pain so he stilled for the moment.  
  
"Jane!" The girl called up the stairs that were looking considerably blurry at the moment, "You're going to want to see this!"  
  
Loki froze, "Jane?" He shot Thor a look but got no response.  
  
Of all the houses Thor could have gone, it had to be _Jane's_... Loki had been giving Thor more credit than he was worthy of, Thor really was stupid. This had to be the first place SHIELD would look for him. Thor was truly thick-headed. At this rate Loki would be back in SHIELD's loving arms in less than an hour. This was ridiculous, why in all the Nine Realms would Thor take him, of all people, to his _girlfriend's_ house?  
  
He heard a hurry of footsteps and a female call that Loki assumed was Jane.  
  
"Darcy, what is it?" There was a pause and a faint change in tone "is it Thor?"  
  
The girl, who had to be Darcy, grinned as Jane came into view. She was stood at the top of the stairs with her gaze downwards. Where Darcy was curved and rounded Jane was sharp, her eyes were fixed without the hindrance of glasses, her jaw was clear cut and her brown hair fell to her shoulders in light chestnut waves. Her clothes were loose, her sleeves rolled up in a scruffy fashion. Jane was not what Loki had expected, there was deep level of intelligence under those narrowed eyes.

Her face lit up when she took in Thor. His hair was dripping wet and his face solemn but that didn't stop her flying down the stairs, with questions spilling out. Jane babbled on with little space for answers, in fact Loki wasn't even sure Thor answered. She barely seemed to even take in the fact that he was stood next to Thor.  
  
Loki wanted to scream at them, stupid _stupid_ people. He wanted to throw her out of a window, turn and leave. He wouldn't be able to, not with Thor here. Thor had dragged him into this home of his ridiculous women seeming not to care of the threat SHIELD possessed. Did he think they would not come after him? They would, he was sure of it.  
  
Everyone was talking all at once, no one really looking at him. Darcy's hands were waving around as she talked animatedly and Jane was a whirlwind of words.  
  
His head throbbed in a faster, pounding pace and his chest was becoming tight making it hard to breathe as nausea returned almost full force. His eyesight was narrowing, lurching to the side in a blur of colours. Loki could feel bile rising up in his throat, threatening to make an appearance. As satisfying as it would probably be to throw up all over Jane or Darcy, he simply couldn't stand for it.  
  
Loki glanced around for a more appropriate location and spotted a kitchen sink not far off. Thor's hold on him had loosened allowing him to duck out of Thor's grip and rush under an architrave.  
  
"Loki!"  
  
Loki could feel the hum of Mjölnir, like sharps of static in the air, as he dashed across the spinning and twisting kitchen tiles but he paid no attention and only focused on the rising bile.  
  
Loki only just made it to the sink before he emptied the remnants of his dinner onto the shiny metal. His mouth tastes foul as he pulled his head back up before instantly vomiting again but less so this time. Tremors ran down his legs and his throat burned and ached at the forced action.  
  
Loki waited a couple of agonising seconds but he felt a lot better and didn't feel as nauseous so he twisted around to rest against the counter. He pushed a wet clump of hair out of his face eyeing everyone who was now looking at him.  
  
Jane was staring at him, her eyes wide whereas Darcy was frowning, her hands lingering on a box like device. Thor looked like he wanted to barrel forward, though if it was to help him or smash his face in Loki couldn't be sure. His face was almost tight with worry - the oaf.  
  
"Loki, are you o-"  
  
"You brought _him_ here?" Jane broke through Thor's words with a loud exclaim, "Into my house?"  
  
"It wasn't Thor's brightest movements." Loki rasped, resting a hand on the counter to hold him up.   
  
Thor scowled, looking more like a kicked puppy than a prince, "There weren't a lot of options."  
  
"You could have just dropped me off at any intersection," Loki pushed himself forward, his legs wobbling but holding, "In fact I can be out of all of your hair right now."  
  
"You were never in my hair."  
  
Loki rubbed his temples, letting out an irritated sigh.  
  
"I think Loki means he's leaving." Darcy supplied helpfully.  
  
"Oh." Thor blinked then shook his head, "I can't allow that, it wouldn't be wise brother."  
  
Loki balled his fists. "I don't care what you think and you certainly can't stop me from leaving."  
  
His eyes flickered around but the only way out was through the door Thor and the humans were blocking.   
  
Thor looked at him pleadingly, "It's not wise."  
  
"What is going on?" Jane broke in, her lips curling at the edges, "What happen to his face?"  
  
Loki paused. His face must be a playground of bruises right now.  
  
"Depends which part you are referring to," Loki drawled.  
  
Jane gave him a look.  
  
Loki smirked slightly, "A mixture of Romanoff and SHIELD agents."  
  
"Romanoff as in Black Widow?" Darcy asked, her eyes lighting up.  
  
"SHIELD?" Jane's head jerking from side to side as she chewed at her lip in a rather disgusting manner, "Are you telling me you've brought SHIELD down on us?" She glanced wildly at the windows as if she as expecting SHIELD to break though, "I thought you said you took Loki back to Asgard."  
  
Loki quirked an eyebrow, ignoring the spike of pain as his skin tightened, "You didn't tell her?"  
  
"Didn't tell me what?" A vein in Jane's neck looked like it was going to pop.   
  
Darcy winced and Thor opened his mouth but Loki waved his hand.  
  
"By the Norns just tell your stupid whore later, preferably when I'm miles away from the first place SHIELD are going to look for me,"   
  
Loki pushed himself forward and tried to brush past Thor but he was knocked him back as Thor blocked the entrance.  
  
"Dra åt helvete." Loki glowered through his teeth, his fists balling as if he was going to strike him.  
  
Thor's eyes narrowed where as Darcy looked confused and Jane looked generally outraged from earlier comment. It took Loki a second to realise he'd switched languages. He cursed himself.   
  
"Get out of my way." Loki hissed in English.  
  
Thor shook his head, his hands suddenly tight around the handle of Mjölnir. "I can't do that." Thor eyed him with a hard expression, "You're in no condition to leave anyway."  
  
Loki clenched his fists, "It's none of your business." Loki let out slow breath of air between his teeth, he wouldn't admit that he was struggling to breathe through his tight chest, "You can't keep me here, I haven't done anything."  
  
"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Thor sighed, his eyes almost tired looking.  
  
Loki's eyes narrowed, "I don't care what you believe as long as you get out of my way."  
  
"Brother, please. We've been looking for you for months, you varnished, what were we to think?"  
  
"I don't care!" Loki hissed.   
  
"Mother sa-"  
  
Loki snarled, "Get the hel out of my way! I don't care about this _me disappearing nonsense_ or my _condition_. I need to leave here before SHEILD get here you fool."  
  
"I thought you dead." Thor said with pleading eyes.  
  
"Did you morn?" Loki spat, letting a grin fall across his face as Thor winced.  
  
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Darcy butted in.  
  
Loki twisted around glaring at her.  He stepped towards her in one large stride, clenching his fists.  
  
"This is one crazy family reunion." Darcy shifted back as she spoke. "Craaaaazy, nuts... So if someone could you know..."  
  
He drew back his lip almost snarling at the girl. If Thor wouldn't let him leave he would settle with snapping her neck.   
  
He stepped closer to her, almost towering over Darcy, as he raised his hand. Her eyes widened a fraction and before Loki could react Darcy jammed the strange box right onto his arm. He cried out at a sudden red hot pain. His body jerked and twisted as his muscles seized and burned. His knees buckled as lightening seemed to shoot through him. His head cracked on the floor and everything went black. 

  
\---

 

712 AD Midgard  
  
The snowy grass that creaked underfoot was soft and dusty. In his wake blades of grass sprung from the fresh snow so that the ground was speckled with green among the white. Above Loki were soaring mountains topped in thick layers of snow, giving it a ghostly look. The sharp mountaintops tore into the cloudy sky that seemed to threaten a storm.  
  
Loki stood partly up a mountain side which jutted out to glimpse the ground below. His feet were sore and blistered from walking. His hair hung lank in messy clumps behind his ear and his nails were caked in mud and dried blood. Despite this he had gained some of the weight he had lost but he was still paler than he had ever been.   
  
From this vantage point he could see a group of Asgardians heading out of the tree line and into a clearing as they followed his tracks not far from him. They had yet to spot him as he stood metres above them on the ledge.   
  
His gaze fell to Fenrir, who was the size of a small dog, barely up to his knee. Loki had long lost track of time, each moon disappeared without him counting so Fenrir could be 3 months old without Loki being sure. Fenrir was stood close to him with his paws waddling through the snow in an unbalanced manner. His fur had lost any other shades of grey or brown and was now jet black. His eyes were as green as his own peering out of his black form.  Watching his pup reminded him of Aumak, she would have been the same size now. She might have been a different colour, tawny brown or white and grey perhaps. He mentally shook himself. Loki reminded himself he had given her up so he could save one of them. Now, if Hela's plan worked out and Odin really believed his 3rd child to be dead then he may have saved Fenrir. Loki could hope. His eyes fell to the men descending down towards them. Even if Odin believed his 3rd was dead he had still sent more men to follow him. He hoped no more would come for him after this group. He could feel his magic getting stronger every day and soon he would be able to put up a permanent cloaking spell, meaning he would no longer be able to be traced.  
  
He had given up so much for Fenrir and so much had been taken. He'd hoped by going to Hel he would get his daughter back but he had lost her just as he had found her again. A lump formed in his throat.. _Hela..._ But it wasn't just her, was it? Jormungand and Aumak.. They had all suffered because of Odin. All of them had been taken. Loki himself couldn't go home. He couldn't see Thor or his Mother. He had no idea where Sigyn and the twins were. He had thought of looking for them in Vanaheim since that was where Sigyn's lover was but it was too risky. He wouldn't even be sure she would there. He had told her to hide where even he couldn't find her and looking for her would inevitably lead everyone to her.  
  
By the Norns... He had been stripped of everything. He had no home, no wife, a deceiver for a father, he had lost his children; it was like his heart had been torn out. He guessed you didn't know what you had or what you cared for, until it was taken again. At least he had Fenrir... No even Fenrir hadn't been unscathed by the actions of his _Father_. Fenrir had been born bloody in a cave. His first days spent in his arms will he ran, the next in Hel.. A place too cold for a new-born and they couldn't even find refuge there. Odin had taken his daughter shackling her to that barren land, where he had to leave her and Aumak to give Fenrir a chance. When they had landed in Midgard in a flurry of purple light, he had grabbed Fenrir and ran. He knew Heimdall would have seen their entrance even after he had cloaked himself so he had no choice but to create distance.   
  
He had no time to stop and mourn the loss of Hela or any of his other children. He couldn't waste energy on them he could only use his anger to fuel him on. He knew if he stopped to think he might never move again. He had Fenrir, he had to save at least one of them.  
  
So for days, he walked, jogged and ran through the forest. His magic was still so depleted that he could only cloak them for hours at a time. He would catch sounds of men following him which would only cause him to move faster, giving him no time to rest, to recharge any sort of energy, magic or hunt for food. He picked the occasional berries but never stopped to rest for more than a couple of minutes. He knew without his magic he would have died from pure exhaustion of the limits he pushed himself to.   
  
It was a relief when on about the fifth day he had come across a tiny village. It had been completely dark apart from the stars and moon lighting the sky until he came across the bright lamps and fires of the village. The village was made up of simple stone and wood shacks and houses scattered loosely around each other. Loki hadn't heard a sound or seen a soul but it was so late in the evening that it wasn't surprising.  
  
He had slipped into one of the houses and found himself in a small kitchen. He couldn't have made any sort of contact in case the men following him tracked him here and then found what direction he went. He had been so hungry from the lack of food he had eaten on the run that he raided the small lard. He took quick gulps from a jug of badly made mead before grabbing meat jerky from the lard. He took a bite out of one of them almost moaning at the taste before shoving it into his pockets. He knew it would last him a couple of days at the very least. He wouldn't be able to share it with his cub since he was still on liquids but he knew it would take the edge off his hunger.  
  
Matching all his luck so far, as he went to leave the home to was met with a flash of metal crashing down inches from his face. He had fallen back out of the door stumbling as a huge burly Midgardian towered over him. The Midgardian had screamed at him in a dialect he didn't recognise but didn't need All-Speak to understand the meaning.  
  
By the time he had fought off a couple of village men with his sword most of the village had woken. They were badly trained at the sword so he was able to take off into the forest before most had followed.  
  
He remembered looking down to check on his cub on his chest to see green eyes staring up at him as it whined and twisted. Blood was splattered on its muzzle from when he had stabbed one of the men but it was his eyes that caused him to hesitate. They had been closed up to this point as the pup had been yet to open his eyes. The first sight his son had seen was him killing, him cutting and hacking men apart.  
  
All of this was because of Odin... All of Fenrir's development was messed up. Now he looked back of it Loki saw even Fenrir's first steps hadn't been undisturbed.   They had been travelling nonstop for a while at a rapid speed. Loki had been nursing Fenrir whenever he could despite the jerky long since been finished. He was beyond tired but the constant feeling of men following them kept him moving. It must have been 2 or 3 weeks in when Loki came across a hunting cabin. He had raided it for food, giving his cub most of it since by then he was on a mixture of liquid and solids. Fenrir was still a little cub but he had lost the weak squirming paws and now kept trying to crawl off when he was set down. He was yet to take a step unaided not that he had had much chance, while they had been creating distance between them and the Asgardians hunting them. Loki had been too tired to go any further that day, his legs were shaking and his head aching like his chest. Instead he spent the afternoon trying to get Fenrir to walk. He would gently cup the cub under its belly so that it could clumsy waddle across the floor aided, though every time he let go for the cub to do it himself, he would fall flat like a star fish and squeal.   
  
Loki had been growing weary, his eyes drooping, and he had placed the cub on one side of the room and sat on the other to try and coax Fenrir to walk over to him. The cub started whining at being separated, letting out tiny panicked yips. It squirmed on the ground and then much to his joy had climbed onto its little paws and clumsy padded across the cabin straight into his arms. He had been so proud, even if it was short lived, since not long after that there was the sound of heavy boots and they had to flee once more.  
  
In the days that followed Loki would walk and jog most of the time and as Fenrir grew bigger, slowly becoming more like a young cub than a baby he would run clumsy at Loki's heels for short distances until he grew tired and had to be carried again.  
  
Loki was brought back to the present by a chilly breeze to his neck that made him shiver. He tightened his jaw against the cold feeling that was becoming more and more familiar. As Loki stood on the rock that jutted out, Fenrir circled around his feet. His nose brushed against the snow coming away with white dust that he licked off.  
  
Loki kept his sights fixed on the men below. It had been so long since any men had been this close to him that he'd almost forgotten the clenching feeling that came with the sight. Loki watched as one of the shorter Asgardian bent down to inspect the ground for tracks, looking for any signs of him.   
  
Fenrir twisted and bounced nervously around him in a circle, letting out a yip. Loki winced and gently poked Fenrir with his boot, which earned him a quick nip off the wolf. He smirked down at the pup for a second, giving it another quick jab with his boot that cub dodged with a huff.  Loki gazed off at the tree line which was slowly becoming a familiar sight. He loved how each tree rose up to meet the sky, brushing their leaves against the clouds in greeting. The lush green added life to the cold landscape of thick snow. The glimpse of shadows appearing at the edge of the wood behind the Asgardians made his mind fall back into memories...  It had been a while since the cabin and Fenrir had now grown so much he no longer needed to be carried. Fenrir ran alongside him wherever they went, though Loki didn't have to run so much anymore and instead mostly walked. Even without the running Loki was still so tired from using all his magic to cloak himself. He remembered he was pleased he could cloak himself for half a day nearly every day, unlike before, yet this still didn't deter whatever was in these woods with him. Loki couldn't remember when he felt like he wasn't alone. He had been on the move for a while and he was used to a paranoid feeling of being followed, partly because he was, but this time it was different. He would catch glimpses of shadows at the edge of the trees just out of sight. He would never see anything when he turned but would catch the sound of crunching snow. There was something out there lingering in the shadows.  
  
Loki remembered that on one particular day he had stopped to rest on a rock in a clearing to nurse Fenrir and take a break. Sweat was dripping down his neck as Loki sat with his sullen eyes partly closed. His heels throbbed from the slow running pace he had been undertaking for the past hour but it was easily forgotten since the rock was slowly becoming so comfortable that Loki was nodding off with his cub curled up in his arms.   
  
His head had been dipping down to his chest in his sleep when he was jolted awake by a noise; a crunch. His head shot up and Loki had nearly dropped Fenrir as his fingers fell instantly to the hilt of his sword, whilst his eyes scanned the tree line for Asgardians.  He caught the glimpse of a large shadow. This time it was close and very much real as it wasn't vanishing from the corner of his sight anymore. The shadowy shape rose up, crunching through the snow out of the darkened wood into the clearing, causing light to fall on it and loss its veil.  Loki stared as the light revealed the shadow to be a wolf at the edge of the clearing. Loki froze in shock watching the dim light catch its black and white mix of fur. The wolf wasn't a large one, probably a teenager, but he could still see the power behind that jaw and long legs and claws. The wolf's nose twitched as it took in his scent and its grey eyes stared right through him, into him. Loki breath caught in his throat as he stared mesmerized at the wolf, becoming overwhelmed with an intoxicating feeling of awe.   
  
Then as quickly as the spell had begun it was broken by a howl. It was long and echoed through the air from deep in the woods. Whereas Loki winced and came back to himself, tightening his grip on his blade and his child, the wolf instead bolted taking off into the forest. The last he saw of the wolf was its legs flying through the snow, sending up white dust as the wolf blended effortlessly into the wood's darkness once more. Loki was left with a lump in his throat as he stared where the wolf had once been but had now returned home.  
  
It wouldn't have been another couple of days before Loki caught sight of the wolf again. Loki had been jogging up a steep incline when he happened to catch sight of a pack of wolves ripping across the other mountain side. Loki caught a glimpse of five wolves, one looking just like the teenager, running as one.  
  
Loki kept moving trying to forget all about them. He tried not to think of those grey eyes that stared into him with no fear or the way they ran together never with one far behind. He had been travelling all day so it wasn't like he would see them again with so much distance between them. In fact it was probably best he didn't as he would likely become a new hunt for them.  
  
Loki stopped for the evening, making a little shelter for himself since he could now afford to stop for a couple of hours as he had gained some distance from the men he knew pursued him. Loki had managed to catch a rabbit by hitting it with a bolt of magic, instantly stopping the creature's heart, and was now slowly roasting it on a miniature fire. He was worried about the smoke being spotted but he was overwhelmed with the urge for warmth and a hot meal. After all, the men following him wouldn't run any faster because he had lit a fire.  
  
He basked in the heat with his legs stretched out on a patch of ground not covered in snow. Fenrir had long since stopped running around the fire like some sort of pyromaniac and had settled down. The rabbit meat was juicy and melted in his mouth as Loki enjoyed the stillness of just sitting and eating.  Yet as always Loki didn't get peace for long. His only warning that he was no longer alone was the crunching of snow before he saw a wolf appear some distance from him. It was almost a relief to see a wolf rather than an Asgardian. He watched as the wolf sniffed the air with its large snout before lowering its head so that its sharp gaze met his. Behind it this time Loki could see the rest of his pack; two much larger wolves with golden eyes that pierced to him and two smaller grey-eyed wolves. Loki sat perfectly still, his breath swallow, with Fenrir fast asleep on his lap. He made sure to not make any sudden movements as the smaller wolf circled his makeshift camp. Its body was tense and it's stormy eyes narrowed but Loki recognised it to be the teenage wolf who had stumbled upon them before. It came within a metre of him sniffing at him as the rest of the pack stood at a distance. Slowly Loki ripped a leg of the rabbit off and carefully held it out to the animal. The wolf barked, arching its back, causing the rest of the pack to move forward from where they stood. Loki let the leg drop from his hand onto the snowy floor in front of him, his hand now hovering over his sword ready to protect himself and his child. The teenage wolf sniffed cautionary at the meat, nudging it with its nose, before simply gobbling it down. The wolf licked its muzzle with its long red tongue before disappearing into the trees with the rest of pack and not so much of a thank you. Loki finished off the rest of the rabbit in silence and this time he was sure it would be last he saw of this unusual pack of wolves.  Loki was positive he was right when two days past of him walking alone with his pup. He was climbing a mountain at a nice slow pace, starting to wonder if he had truly lost the men pursuing him, when he came across a sudden clearing. To his amazement resting in the clearing were the same from days earlier. Despite some part of him wanting to turn and run the curious part of him caused him to stay and perch himself a couple of metres from the pack on a rock with Fenrir on his lap.  
  
He could feel their gaze on him and his pup. The three large wolves snapped and barked with their ears pricked, yet the other two smaller wolves seemed curious. Loki remained very still, simply fussing over Fenrir. After a while the two larger wolves ignored him, seeming not to find him more interesting than what they were focusing on gnawing. The others slowly approached him, one circling and hanging back, where as the other two stepped forward in long powerful steps, muscles rippling under their coat as they moved. Their deadly jaws remained clenched as they moved and sniffed the air around Loki as he tried to stay relaxed into the least threatening position. Loki must have done something right because one of them came right up to him and sniffed a couple of times before settling down near him with a grunt. Fenrir yipped and yapped at the wolf from Loki's grip but the wolf remained still only twitching its ears to the direction of the sounds. If Loki didn't know any better he would have said the wolf was amused. They remained around him for a while but took off after some time without hesitation.  Over the next week he continued to bump into the pack, despite him moving deeper into the woods. In these interactions the two larger wolves would keep a distance, growling every ones in a while whereas the others sat around him. They would brush against him and nip at him playfully. It was almost comforting to interact with them; they were complex but simple at the same time. If he had a bit of meat he would share it with them and they would sit around him watching him with their big enigmatic eyes. When his pup was awake Loki let him toddle around the wolves with an air of pure curiosity at new living creatures. Fenrir would try to play with them or chew one of them, often opting to bat at an amused wolf's tail. Loki had been worried they would try and kill his pup but they seemed interested in it more than anything.  
  
As time went on and the wolf pack became more familiar with him they got boisterous with him. The teenage one in particular would knock him down and nip at him. He would wrestle it over and play and tease with them as another barrelled him over into the snow. It was one of the oddest things that in his weak state they could have killed him but instead they began to form an understanding.  They would share food with him by dropping food at him feet, just as in return Loki would share what he had.  
  
It was almost disheartening when they would disappear for days at a time but despite this they would always appear again sometime later when he least expected it. They must have a memory of his scent because they always seemed to find him again despite the fact he was still continuously moving whenever his magic failed to cloak him from sight.  
  
Loki was growing incredibly familiar with the three wolves that would play, eat and rest next to him but not with the two larger ones. They seemed to be the leaders of the pack. The large female and the huge male would normal keep their distance, only growling and gnashing their teeth in a more passive aggressive way. He never went too close to them always fearing for Fenrir's safety.  
  
Loki remembered one particular day when he was resting against the smallest wolf enjoying the warmth of the wolf's soft body and the feeling of meat in his stomach from sharing the pack's meal. He was glad to be gaining back the weight he had lost since now he was getting better food with the pack, to the point that even Fenrir was looking healthier.  
  
Loki saw Fenrir waddling through the snow, nudging at the trunk of a tree, exploring around the edge of the group of the wolves. He stood up to call Fenrir back when he had strayed too far. Loki must have stood too fast because the next thing Loki knew he was knocked down by 100 pounds of wolf. Loki crashed back in the snow with the large alpha female snarling inches from his face. Loki froze as her lips curled back to show her teeth, sharp and dripping with drool. He could feel her warm breath on his face as his hand clasped instinctively around the hilt of a blade. Loki could sense the rest of the pack rising up, growling echoing. Her heavy paws were pressing him hard into the ground, the claws digging in. His breath was caught in his throat and he let his hand fall from the hilt. His heart was hammering in his chest as he held still as the wolf snarled and snapped at the air inches from him. Loki let out a tiny breath of air through his teeth, forcing his body to go slack, and tilting his head back so his neck was showing. The wolf began to still, its flaxen eyes narrowed, letting out a long snarl that vibrated right through him. Then all at once she nipped at him before released him, causing an unexpected wave of relief to roll over him.  
  
After that they had more of mutual understanding for each other than ever before. Loki had never forgotten the power they possessed yet he now respected it properly and so in turn they accepted him. The bigger wolves were still slightly hostile towards him but they no longer snarled at him and he realised it was not meant to be threatening but simply a reminder.  When Loki left them this time to continue moving on he found sleeping alone felt wrong. He felt at a loss like something was missing or he was lacking something more, of being a part of something or being protected. So despite his better judgement the next time he met with them he stayed. As usual when they appeared through the trees as he walked through the woods, they barrelled towards him. They bounced up, nipping and rubbing against him with blood on their muzzles from a kill.   
  
As the day darkened and they settled in their den for the night, he lay with them. The smaller ones didn't stop him, just rested their heads on their paws and shut their eyes. Loki knew the larger female was watching him so he stayed perfectly still on the ground with a sleepy Fenrir clutched to his chest.   
  
Loki barely slept only nodded off occasionally as it was just too tense surrounded with huge bodies threatening to arise and attack him at a moment's weakness when he least expected it.  
  
When morning came and Loki left the den with the pack and Fenrir trotting next to him unmarked he knew he had been fully accepted by the pack. Loki may still be hunted for but with these wolves he had a healthy intake of food, protection but more importantly other living beings for his growing cub to interact with. Loki came back to himself again, freeing himself from memories, as one of the approaching men cursed as they nearly tripped. He stared at each man, seeing they were as burly and muscular as he remembered them to be, and as Loki felt a sickening burn rise in his throat from the sight of them he realised he was done running.  
  
He cupped his hands around his mouth and howled. At first it was low but then little Fenrir joined in, his small voice seeming to cut through the air, and he pushed allowing his own to come out loud so it echoed across the trees, rocks and mountain faces. The group of Asgardian men below looked up at the ledge that he stood on and finally spotted him. They started yelling and drawing their swords but failed to hear over their own voices the responding howl out at the edge of the woods. It was a haunting sound that spread across the snow, a call that made his heart pound, warming his body.  
  
"Stay." He murmured to Fenrir, pointing at the ground. The pup tilted his head and whined in response. Loki gave him a half smile before jumping from the cliff edge.  
  
His boots lit up in green wisps as he used his magic to dampen the drop and Loki landed, imprinting in the soft snow, with his sword drawn ready to meet an incoming blow. Loki ducked and dodged, trying to find a weak spot as he met the men full on. There were too many men to fight alone, he could feel them beginning to surround him as he exchanged blows with two men at the same time, managing to slide his blade between one of their rips. Loki dodged and his sword clanged against one of the man's so he threw out his other hand, sending a green shock wave at a man to his left which knocked him flying. To his right he heard a snarl and then a loud scream and all at most there was screaming, squelching of flesh pulled for the bone.  Loki grinned seeing his pack launching themselves at the men, ripping apart any they could hold down. The men tried to slice the snarling wolves but they were so nimble they dodged side to side before launching at them and when a wolf had got its jaw around one of them it was game over.  With wolves at his side the men were quickly subdued as any man ones tried to attack him were too distracted or frightened  by the large wolves bounding around them that they over swung or left gaps in their defences that he was able to slash down as the wolves tore the others apart legs, arms and mangled torsos. The last Asgardian tried to run but Loki leapt forward and with one clean swing beheaded him. The body fell with a crunch in the snow, the head rolling leaving frost in the dead man's hair.  
  
He stared for a moment at the graveyard of body parts spread across the snow before being briefly startled by a smaller wolf brushing against him, nudging him with its nose, causing him to smirk and run his fingers through its fur. The two larger wolves were tearing up a long dead Asgardian into long strips of red flesh to lap up. The snow was red with blood and limbs scattered in clumps like small mounds.  Loki bent and picked up the guards head by his hair and set it down where the snow was pure white. The severed head stared blankly with milky eyes, the mouth open in a permanent cry, blood still leaking from the severed neck. With the point of his bloody sword he began to draw in the snow around the head. The lines be cut were tinged in red, flowing, curved but at parts straight to form a sigil with the head sat in the centre. With one fluid motion Loki thrust his sword down so it split through the skull leaving the hilt sticking up in the middle of the drawn sigil. Loki stepped back to examine the bloody sigil in the snow with the severed head and his sword in the centre.  Odin would know what it meant and he would understand the message, it was clear and bloody after all.  
  
The lead wolf narrowed its eyes at him and let out a growl which Loki responded with by lowering his head slightly, satisfying the wolf, before turning and whistling. He watched as in response Fenrir clambered down the rocks with the speed of a goat and ran through the snow, his tongue hanging out, and jumped up at Loki with his claws scratching against his legs. Loki smiled, rubbing the pups head with his bloodied hand. With his cub at his side, he followed the waiting pack into the wood watching as each wolf left bloody paw prints in the snow as they trotted between the trees, sniffing at the ground, with gold eyes searching the ground.  
  
Fenrir stuck to his side as they moved easily with the wolves disappearing into the woods. Loki didn't glance back at the torn bodies or the sigil, it would be his goodbye and he wasn't going to look back ever again. Loki watched his little pup marched through the thick snow, his tail thumping, and he knew his choice was clear - He wasn't going back. He would never set foot in Asgard again. Loki wouldn't let Odin hurt his last son and he wouldn't let them be separated.   
  
"Goodbye." Loki murmured, the image of the rare sigil burned in his mind.  
  
It was just him and Fenrir against the world... And maybe his new family - the wolves. Loki was never going back. It was no home worth having anymore.

  
\---

 

Present Day  
  
Loki felt a cold hand sliding across his chest. It was slow and probing as it slithered along his ribcage up to his throat. His stomach twisted and his eyes flew open. Inches from him were brown eyes. Loki flinched back as his breath stuttered. Panic rose up in his chest at the fingers on his skin, the eyes so close. There was a dull pain... it was warm, so hot... ba-

  
A voice boomed.  
  
Loki froze and his eyes flitted around. His breath was fast and quick. His head was pounding and he couldn't focus his eyes. He skimmed over a figure towering in the corner. The figure had blonde hair nearly dry, a worried expression and large blue eyes like cracked glass- Thor.  
  
He twisted to see it was only Jane leaning over him. He hissed and jerked forward only to be stopped by a chain as Jane quickly backed out of range. His eyes shot down to see the chains from his wrists had been attached to Mjölnir, which was rested on the sofa.   
  
He sunk back, not quite relaxing but not tense either. Loki's breath was still ragged but he kept his expression controlled and blank. His head reeled, his hands shook, but his breath was finally slowing.  
  
Loki focused instead on the room he was in, which was living room. It was a lot messier than he first noticed. There seemed to be random stacks of paper and books piled all over the place with an assortment of mugs littered random surfaces, even the window sill, and each was in different levels of emptiness. There was a random purple pen next to the fire place with the lid nowhere to be seen. The fake fire was still on which allowed heat to drift into the room but it made the room feel stuffier than was comfortable. A TV sat to the side showing flickering images of people with their lips moving but no sound coming out. Loki could see the door from here maybe ten strides away. He needed to get to it as soon as possible.   
  
"I'm not a doctor but yeah I think there's a broken rib," He heard Jane murmur to Thor.  
  
Thor murmured something back but she shook head, "It should be fine so long as nothing is punctuated or infected which I don't think it is."  
  
Jane got up and walked through the doorway.  
  
"Ja-"  
  
She waved a hand, "we can talk when _he_ is out of this house"  
  
Thor furrowed his eyebrows, almost pouting, but didn't stop her leave. Thor's eyes glided to him almost looking straight at him. Loki met his eyes for a second for glancing away.  
  
"How are you feeling?" 

  
"Fine."   
  
In fact, Loki felt like he'd been dragged face first through Musphelheim and then dropped off a cliff. His head throbbed from where he struck it when he collapsed from whatever the girl had jabbed him with.  His face felt bruised, his torso ached from the kicks and the possible broken rib that was causing his chest to feel tight and breathing to burn. Even his hand hurt from the missing nail but that was all without mentioning his sore throat and respiratory tract from all the water.   
  
Thor sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes, "At least tell me what happened,"  
  
"I don't know what you mean." Loki deflected, picking out dried blood from under his nails.  
  
"So the men of SHIELD took you for no reason?"  
  
"It was simply a mix up. _Someone_ didn't tell them I was here on Midgard."  
  
Thor frowned, "So it wasn't about the Chitauri?"  
  
"No, why would it be?" Loki asked, looking up, "There's only been one attack which I had nothing to do with."  
  
By Mimir's head Loki just wanted out of here but his legs felt like jelly and his head ached even more than before. It was even still raining. He could hear it rattling off the roof and lashing at the windows with surprising ferocity.  
  
"But there hasn't been only one attack." Thor said.   
  
He forced himself not to jerk, hadn't Stark said something similar? Then again... Stark did have a habit of prattling on. He'd mentioned something about it but had never elaborated since Loki had scared him off.   
  
Everyone did seem to believe there had been more Chitauri appearance but he hadn't noticed anymore attacks. This was worrying... What has He up to? This couldn't be good. Without his magic he wouldn't stand a chance against Him.   
  
"Let me guess everyone thinks I'm behind it..." He sighed dramatically, looking only vaguely innocent.   
  
Thor rubbed the back of his neck looking away towards the darkened window, "After you were banished, Heimdall was keeping an eye on you but after a couple of weeks he could no longer gaze upon you and then with these recent appearances of Chitauri..."  
  
Loki tried not to roll his eyes. If anything went wrong he was always to blame.  
  
"I wanted to believe you had nothing to do with it." Thor admitted, looking at him.   
  
"I didn't know that concealing myself from Heimdall gaze meant I was automatically up to no good, especially with my lack of magic." Loki's lips curled.  
  
Thor frowned at the last statement, "Everyone assumed you could shroud yourself from his sight because you had acquired your magic back though just this day you appeared in Heimdall's sight. Tell me, brother, have you regained your magic?" There was accusing sound to his voice. Thor's eyes were narrowed as he watched him carefully.   
  
Loki ignored the reference to being his brother and instead said, "So this is why you have been searching for me? You feared what I would do hidden from everyone's gaze with my powers back. You thought I would wretch havoc on your precious Midgard?"  
  
"So it is true? You have you magic back?" Thor tenses as if he was going to stand up. Mjölnir between his hands began to rattle and vibrate.  
  
Loki eyed the shaking weapon with little care. He just wanted to leave already but it wasn't like he could lift it.   
  
"Of course not, you oaf."  
  
He ignored the way the hammer's humming increased as Thor's frown deepened.  
  
"If you don't believe me, take off these cuffs." Loki said with a grin, wriggling his fingers.  
  
Thor eyed the cuffs as the hammer settled, "I think that would be unwise."  
  
Loki hummed, "Such little faith _brother_." He paused, and straightened a bit, "Why did you mention M-- Frigga earlier?"  
  
Thor gave him a weary look, almost wincing. "It was the other reason we searched for you."  
  
It was typical that even in his so called exile they wouldn't leave him alone. Loki waited for him to continue.  
  
"After you vanished from Heimdall's gaze Mother grew worried. Father told her not to pursue these thoughts yet against his wishes she turned to her magics to scry. She could not see you now but she wanted to see you in the future in the hopes to find you." Thor shot him a sad look, "She misses you greatly."  
  
Loki felt a slight tinge but didn't pursue it and instead brushed it off.  
  
"What did she see?"

  
"She would not say but she seemed greatly troubled so we sought for you. We feared the worse."  
  
Well that wasn't very useful but then again seeing into the future was dangerous and full of riddles or misleading visions. Thor was yet to mention Fenrir but then Frigga might not have told anyone about releasing him. His son had said something her warning about the path he was taking being dangerous. That could mean anything.  
  
"Well you found me." Loki said coldly, "And as you can see I'm fine so if you could unchain this," He waved at his hands attached to the hammer, "And tell everyone on Asgard to call off the search that would be fine." He flashed a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.  
  
"You need to rest," Thor said, falling back into his seat, "The weather is not good for you in your condition."  
  
Loki muttered, "What's not good for me is being exactly where SHIELD will find me."  
  
"I will not let SHIELD harm you brother." Thor insisted.   
  
"Bit late for that." Loki spat, "So excuse me if I have little faith."  
  
Thor let out an irritated sigh that Loki hated, "The mortals know not what they have done but it will not happen again."  
  
Loki raised an eyebrow, "Either way you can't keep me here indefinitely."  
  
"I wasn't planning-"  
  
"What is your plan, hm?" Loki interrupted, "Ship me back to Asgard? Hand me back to SHIELD? Keep me here forever? Why did you even break me out?"   
  
His fingers where digging into his palm and he could feel hot blood dripping from his nail-less finger again.  
  
"Heimdall told me you were there," Thor's eyes darkened, "I came simply to discover what had happened but when I found what state you were in I couldn't just leave you-"  
  
"I didn't need your help." Loki snapped, "or your pity," Thor opened his mouth but Loki kept going. "You have no right to keep me here, none what so ever."

  
"You are in no state to leave." Thor said firmly, "SHIELD need to know what is going on for their safety and yours."  
  
"Their safety?"

  
"I cannot be sure you are not up to something. They need to know of your reasons for being here. It was wrong of me not to tell them earlier but I wanted to give you a fresh start."  
  
Loki was going to snarl back when he was interrupted by a flurry of movement as Darcy appeared.

 

They both stopped to stare at the mortal as she plonked herself on the other side of the sofa that Loki was on. She seemed either completely oblivious of their stares or simply didn't care, it was hard to tell from her expression. It annoyed him that she was sat so close but it wasn't like there was room next to Thor, since he took up most of the sofa.  She had some sort of pasta in a tub that looked like noodles but were more flat. The smell of the food made his mouth water but he ignored it since his stomach still felt uneasy and he wasn't sure he could anything down.

 

His gaze fell to the conflicted looking Thor. This was enough to quench the blinding burning feeling that had been threatening to boil over only moment earlier. Thor looked pleased to see the Mortal yet annoyed at the intrusion, almost worried.  
  
Loki's eyes flickered to Darcy. She seemed to be focused on her pot of food yet she was tapping her foot in a sort of nervous tic.  
  
Thor gave her a look but without even looking up she raised an eyebrow and said to him. "What? Am I interrupting?" She looked at Thor, pasta hanging from her spoon. "You do realise we don't have a table right and I'm super hungry."  
  
"Darcy I-"  
  
"I aren't standing up in the kitchen." She said, sticking her chin out.  
  
"It's not safe-"  
  
She snorted, "What's Loony Tunes going to do? Throw up on me? Smack me over the head with Mew-Mew?"  
  
Thor stared and Loki smirked despite himself at the ridiculous expression he wore.   
  
She waved the box at Thor with a grin, "I can taser him if he misbehaves."  
  
" _He_ is right here." Loki replied coolly, leaning forward with a serious composure. His eyes glinted dangerously as he closed the short distance between them.  
  
Darcy raised a brow at him not seeming fazed. While she was focused on his face Loki carefully slid off something clipped to the material of her pocket into his palm.  
  
She rolled her eyes, "I'm quite aware partly thanks to your lack of understanding of personal space."  
  
He pulled a fake look of disgust drawing away with his hand now clasped around his prize without either of them noticing.   
  
Darcy looked at him for a couple of seconds before continuing to eat. She took barely a bite of her food before speaking again.  
  
"How's the human thing working out for you then?" She asked with her mouth full.  
  
"It is adequate." Loki raised an eyebrow.

  
He watched her throat bob up and down as she swallowed. He wondered if he could stab her in the neck with the end of her spoon before Thor could stop him. She'd be gurgling on blood for a little while, that would be interesting. The cuffs were too short for him to do it either way.  
  
"So do you like have an office job, wife and a dog?" Darcy asked with a faint grin despite the dark look he was giving her.   
  
He shuffled the item from Darcy's pocket between his forefingers as discreetly as he could.  
  
"No I don't." Loki replied, slowly twisting the metal hairpin into the correct shape.  
  
"Do you even have a job?" Darcy asked with a pout, seeming unable to stop prodding and digging.  
  
Loki slipped the metal into the cuff's lock as he said with a dismissive tone, "Of sorts."   
  
She ate a mouthful, "Is it legal?" Darcy whispered, cupping one hand to turn it into a stage whisper.  
  
"Don't antagonise him." Thor scolded, his eyes flickering quickly between them.  
  
Loki let out a fake scoff, "She'd have to try harder than that."  
  
He twisted the pin until it caught a part of the mechanism. Loki drew it back until there was a small click and the first part was unlocked.  
  
"Was it illegal?" Darcy asked leaning in.  
  
"Was what illegal?" Loki asked not fully paying attention as he hooked the pin around the second mechanism.  
  
"Your job," Darcy supplied, waiting expectantly.   
  
"Who said I had a job?"   
  
He caught it as he twisted the pin and heard an encouraging click. His heart jumped, one more to go.  
  
"You must have come way of getting income."  
  
He grinned at her, all teeth, eyes sharp. "I've been too busy learning true benevolence and the error of my ways to have time for a job." His shark-like grin widened, causing Thor to frown, "Any day now I'll be a real boy."  
  
Darcy snorted.   
  
He twisted the pin struggling to catch the lock at the right angle, "So, tell me how you and _Jane_ came to have this house, from what I'd been lead to believe you two lived in a trailer."  
  
He was partly trying to keep her attention from his hands but also he had to admit he was slightly interested.   
  
Darcy swung her legs, banging the sofa, "Stark." She said simply.  
  
"I see," He replied.   
  
It made sense he supposed. The mortal was made of money however his reason for helping the women out was unclear.  
  
He caught the last edge with the twisted pin and managed to nudge it into turning. His heart skipped a beat as the he lock let out an audible click and clanged against Mjölnir as his hands clipped free of the restraints.  
  
Thor seemed to freeze in shock and Loki almost smirked. He had got out of these handcuffs once Thor should have realised he could do it again. 

Thor's hand shot out and Mjölnir jerking off the sofa and flew to his out stretched palm.  
  
"Loki," Thor thundered through his teeth.   
  
He looked at Thor raising an eyebrow at his tight expression. Loki waved his hands at Darcy, who had paused eating, as if he was casting a spell.  
  
"I curse you.."  He said in a deep voice, wriggling his fingers, "You shall now become a frog for the rest of your days."  
  
Darcy looked startled but after a couple of seconds almost smirked. He could see the amusement dancing in her eyes even though she kept a straight face.  
  
"See," Loki said his palms out stretched, "No magic."  
  
Thor gave him a wary glance as he gripped the hammer's handle tightly, "That doesn't prove anything."  
  
Loki narrowed his eyes, "I wouldn't still be here if I had it."  
  
"He has a point," Darcy butted in, "We'd probably all be dead."  
  
He gave her a grin with a glint in his eyes.  
  
Thor let out a sigh, his knuckles around the handle of Mjölnir slowly returning in colour.   
  
Loki didn't realise he had been rubbing his wrist until he winced in pain. He glanced down to see that where the cuffs had been was rubbed raw. It looked like he had struggled so much that his wrists that he had developed painful purple and yellow bruising and his skin had broken from the metal cutting into him leaving a large slice. The cut had white and yellow liquid settled in it, surrounded with red enflamed skin.  
  
Darcy followed his gaze, "Geez.." She set her pot down, "You need to get some antiseptic on that ASAP or your hand might fall off." She paused, "Not that I care.. You know, you being a mass murder and all."  
  
"Of course." He replied smoothly.  
  
She bounced up, "We've got some in the bathroom." She looked at him, "You coming, Dasher?" 

He slowly rose, raising his brow at the nickname.  
  
Thor stood up, "Lady Darcy I shall take him."  
  
Darcy snorted, "Do you even know what antiseptic is?"  
  
"Well.. It's.." His face twisted as he fumbled.  
  
"Exactly, I'll patch him up."   
  
Loki scowled for a moment, eyeing the exit.  
  
She pulled out the little box again, "I'll be fine, I've got my sparky. I'll just taser him if he tries anything."  
  
Thor nodded reluctantly.  
  
"You owe me, big time fella." She grinned, patting Thor on his shoulder.  
  
The bathroom turned out to be up the stairs and down a long corridor to the left. Thor disappeared into the room next to it to talking to Jane though not before pulling him aside and warning him what would happen if he touched Darcy, which Darcy had stuck her tongue out at.  
  
As they entered he found the bathroom was massive compared to the one in his apartment, which was saying something. There was a bath against the far wall with curved silver taps. There was a toilet to the left and a sink with cabinets below as well as some above on the wall. The mirror hanging over the sink was curved at the top like an archway, with lights set into it.  

Loki stood waiting as Darcy started rummaging through the messy cabinet. He glanced at the mirror, he almost didn't recognise himself. His hair was in dirty unkempt tangles, falling around his shoulders giving him a crazed messy look. A series of bruises were scattered across his face. There was a long one across his cheek bone that bloomed yellow and purple courtesy of Romanoff. The others littered in odd places; a couple on his jaw, one on his neck and another near his left eye. There was a large one of his forehead where he must have cracked it in the kitchen. His eyes were still green yet they looked glazed over and tired as they bulging out of his pale face. His clothing had seen better days.  
  
Looking away from the mirror and back to Darcy he noticed she had never put away her taser and was half turned towards him as she hunted through the cupboard on the wall this time. Wise, he supposed, even if it was unnecessary. There would be no point attacking her before he got medical treatment.   
  
"Ah, ha!" Darcy grinned, holding up a first aid kit and a bottle, "I knew there was one around here somewhere."   
  
He swiped the bottle from her and grabbed the kit as well. As he went to the sink he heard Darcy muttered "You're welcome" in a tone that suggested sarcasm. Loki simply ignored her. He didn't need her help.  
  
He unscrewed the bottle of antiseptic and poured it over the wound. He gritted his teeth as it started to sting against the liquid.  
  
"You're supposed to dilute it!"   
  
Loki shot her a glare that made her let out an overdramatic sigh as her turned back to cleaning his wrist. It stung as he worked at the wound to the point he nearly forgot her presence.

It didn't take long for her to start talking again as the mortal never seemed to know when to shut up.  
  
"What's the deal with you and SHIELD?"  
  
"It's none of your business." Loki replied, grabbing some bandages, "Though I could ask you why you thought it was a good idea to be alone in a room with me." He sent her a sideway glance to where she was leant against the wall. Her glasses were catching the fake light over head and the taser in her hand.  
  
"I kinda like this house," She quirked an eyebrow, "And I don't want Thor and you ruining it in a medieval sibling fight."  
  
Loki placed a gauze over the wound and started carefully covering it with of bandage.   
  
"Anyway you didn't seem to find being in a room with Thor-"   
  
"Anyway you never did say if you had a job." Darcy mused.

He scowled at her for a moment.  
  
"I had a way of income," Loki slipped a safety pin into the bandage to hold it in place, "It matters little as SHEILD have ruined it now."  
  
Loki fiddled with bandage, trying not to think of the mess he had left Eric in. Just one mortal... it didn't matter, he reminded himself.  
  
"You're not a fan of SHEILD." Darcy said, more as a statement than a question.  
  
"No," Loki looked at her and noticed she flinched at his expression which sent him a wave of pleasure, "It won't be long until they work out where I am, I can imagine that it will be fun for you since you're harbouring a fugitive."  
  
He turned away as Darcy said, "Thor will sort something out."  
  
"You think they'll listen to reason." Loki sneered, "You do realise who I am? Or are you really as stupid as you look?"  
  
"Hey! I know exactly who you are. I was there when you destroyed half of Puente Antiguo with a killer robot -- which was not very nice by the way."  
  
He could sense her tensing up in an annoyed fashion.  
  
"Yet you are in a room with me with only one weapon."  
  
"It's a taser," she said almost proudly, "It may be small but it can take out your insane ass."  
  
Loki let out a grunt and rested his hands on the sink and glanced at his reflection. His hair looked completely manic. He wet his hands and ran his fingers through the mass of hair to tame it. It had little effect so in the end he had to wash it in the sink.  The end result was a lot better even if his hair was wet and cold against his neck. Loki pretended he didn't see red water drain away. It was just the colour of the lighting that was all it was.  
  
Ignoring Darcy's babble he grabbed a towel rubbing his hair gingerly. Strangling her right now would not help him even if it would relax him.  
  
When his hair wasn't soaking anymore he hung the towel back. He hadn't realised his top had ridden up until Darcy squeaked. It was an odd noise and Loki hadn't expected it to come out of a mortal. Loki raised an eyebrow at her as he ran his fingers through his hair like a comb, his top falling back into place.  
  
"What is that on your back?" Darcy gawped, her eyes looking him up and down.   
  
"Nothing that concerns you."  
  
Chatty, noisy people he could deal with as he could simply drowned them out sometimes literally but prying, nosey people that was something he hated.  
  
"It looked like you've been laying on hot coal," she said, "Not that I'm judging or anything."  
  
His body went cold and his nail formed small crescents on his palm.   
  
"Actually I am judging you a little, lying on coal isn't normal. Is that how you got it?"  
  
"It's none of your business." He said, forming each word slowly trying to contain himself.  
  
"I know but it looked weird.. Is it something to do with SHEILD or did you do I-"  
  
Loki stalked forward, his teeth bared aggressively causing Darcy to stutter.  
  
"It looked like nothing." He snarled at her, his fists clenched tight.  
  
She was a nosey, stupid girl.  
  
He glowered down at her. He could already see the blood dripping from his hands. He could feel her neck snapping between his hands and her limp body falling. Her life taken in his hands, broken, so fragile and pointless. Her body sprawled along the tiles in a pool of sticky blood, motionless and cold.  
  
Darcy took a step back, a startled look on her face like a deer stuck in headlights, as she stared up into his eyes.  
  
His breath was slow. His teeth grated against each other. He could almost smell her nervous sweat. He could feel himself coiling up, his vision blurring at the edges.  
  
The tension twanged and snapped like a bow string as the door banging open. Darcy darted out like a startled rabbit muttering some excuse to Thor who stood in the doorway.  
  
His brows came together as he glanced between Loki and the retreating girl.   
  
"What did you do?"  
  
Loki grounded his teeth together pushing himself forward as he tried to brush past Thor to somewhere else, anywhere. He could still feel the anger blurring his thoughts. Thor grabbed his wrist, clamping down on the painful bruises. He twisted like a cat in water. His eyes flickered around as his body coiled and tightened ready to strike. Loki could spot a dozen weak spots he could easily strike. Thor's throat was vulnerable; his stance overly tense, a kick to the left would send him off.   
  
The glint of the hammer in the light stopped him. One strike from that and it could be game over. Bidding his time would be more logical. He couldn't over power an alert Thor. One moment of weakness was all he needed, even just gaining his trust.   
  
It was still unclear what Thor wanted. He said he wanted to help him, at least until he was better. Yet Loki doubted that was his motive. The second SHIELD got here it would be straight back to a cell. He couldn't have that. He needed to be in New York, he needed to get to Fenrir. His son was waiting for him yet he couldn't leave, Thor had made that much clear.   
  
He glared at Thor and pulled his arm free from his grip.  
  
"I didn't do anything to your mortal." He spat.  
  
Thor shoved him up against the wall, "If you've done _anything_ to Lady Darcy-"  
  
"I didn't touch her!" He snapped, trying to shove him off with little success as Thor was like a sack of bricks, "I don't know why you care anyway, they'll be dead and gone in what? Twenty, Fifty years? It's _nothing_!"  
  
Thor grounded his teeth together, his grip on his shoulder that was pinning him growing tighter and painful.  
  
Loki tilted his head slightly, "Only fifty years and I'll be rid of you." He mused.  
  
Thor suddenly let him go, "We don't have to be enemies."  
  
Loki brushed himself down, curling his lips in disgust, "I don't see how you don't even trust me."  
  
"Would you?"  
  
Loki rolled his eyes, walking a couple of paces before turning, "Since you refuse to let me leave _for my safety_ can you actual contribute to my _health_ or are you going to starve me?" he said, before an argument broke out again. It was starting to get bothersome, it wasn't like they'd actually come to a conclusion and he hurt too much for a fight right now.  
  
When Thor stared at him in confusion at his statement he twisted his lips thinking he might actually be as stupid as he looked and gestured towards the stairs where the kitchen and likely food was.  
  
It was actually Jane who ended up making him food. He didn't really pay attention to what it was, he was too hungry. It stopped the ache in his stomach and warmed him as he ate. Loki regretted eating it so fast since he ended up feeling queasy.   
  
No one really spoke to him from his spot at the end of the sofa. Darcy glared at him but generally ignored him. Jane flat out refused to sit in the same room as him. It didn't bother him, he didn't feel like talking to any of them. Thor tried to talk to him a couple of times but he just ignored him. Thor tried to reassure him that if (more like when) SHIELD came they would not harm him. Loki had managed not to snap at him and keep his expression schooled. The door was almost staring at him yet there was Thor between him and it. Simply storming out wouldn't grantee a clean escape, not against Thor's speed and strength. 

At least Thor hadn't put the cuffs back on, much to Jane's displeasure. Apparently his wrists looked too sore for them to be put back on or something pathetic like that. He wasn't complaining since it was beneficial but it did make him wonder how stupid Thor was. At least when he found the right moment to get out he wouldn't hindered by chains.  
  
He spent a lot the evening staring out the window. Well, it felt like evening and looked like it yet the clock on the wall said otherwise. It was apparently so late it was early. Either way he sat staring out into the darkness just waiting for the vans or helicopters, yet still they didn't come. He could be out there right now on his way to Fenrir. He was sure Fenrir had survived the fall but now he probably bored waiting for him.   
  
It was still odd having Fenrir back even be it for a couple of days. He'd assumed he would never see him again; he had come to accept that. Odin's word was law so to see Fenrir again should have been impossible. Yet, his Mother- no Frigga the most unlike person had freed him. The reason was still unclear. She must have seen something... She'd told Fenrir to look for him and bring him back and believed he would? 

Something niggled at him. Loki had thought that Fenrir would hate him. If it hadn't been for him Fenrir would have been free but still Fenrir followed him. Why? No creature ever chose to be in his presence. Loki would have thought that with this newfound freedom Fenrir would be off exploring the worlds but he shackled himself to him, following him around. But why? They had a past, they were related but that couldn't be the reason. 

His thoughts faded away and he found himself tapping his finger against the arm of the sofa, staring out, as the TV played some movie. There seemed to be some sort of car chase happening across the screen, the twisting of the car was so fake. 

He realised he should try to jump them before SHIELD came but everything just ached and he really wanted to close his eyes for just one moment. The urge was nearly impossible to resist, he could already feel his eyes drooping. Loki should have known he would fall asleep. After all he couldn't remember the last time he had slept properly, which was likely why he nodded off.   
  
Loki should have realised that even if he was exhausted his sleep still wouldn't be peaceful.  
  
_In his dream it started with darkness. The kind that was so thick it was suffocating. Loki twisted but he couldn't move._

 _  
There was laughter behind him, in front of him, to the left, even above him. It was a screeching laughter like a twisting car before a fatal collision. He thrashed as the laughter filled everything._ _  
  
Then everything was burning. It was pitched black but he was burning, boiling, blistering. Even as he cried out it didn't cover the laughter.  
  
The laughing voice whispered to him, cackling and gurgling.   
  
He was a shadow.. A shadow..   
  
He pushed you- he pushed you... tossed you into an abyss._

 _Monster... Liar.  
  
Traitor. Traitor. TRAITOR.  
  
... A Shadow.  
  
He twisted, the cackling grew louder._ _  
  
All at once Loki was free. He stumbled forward. A different laughter filled his ears and every part of his being. It was a booming laughter, happy, yet eerie and full of mockery. A large hand pushed him forward and he fell on his knees, smacking against the ground with a jarring pain.   
  
The laughter was louder, filled by a crowd of people, yet everything was white now. There was no one there but everyone was laughing.  
  
Blue eyes met his just as a needle pierced his lips causing him to flinch. Loki tried to jerk back but a strong hand held him down, forcing him still. Loki couldn't hope to scream against the slow, intimate agony of his lips being threaded together. Blood and spit ran down his chin as his legs quivered against the sharp pain of the needle piercing his lips again and again. With each hole came painful stinging as the thread was given a tight pull against his torn bloody lips. The crowd was laughing harder and harder now and those intense blue eyes in front of him were even brighter with sick amusement.  
  
Suddenly his head was wrenched back by his hair and he let out a scream, the threads tearing and pulling his lips to shreds. Loki crashed onto his back and was immediately enveloped by biting chains. __Everything darkened as water was drenched over him. Loki's screams became gurgles as water poured and seeped down his throat._

_He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe._

_His lungs began to burn as he flailed and twisted. He chocked and gurgled. Water filled his throat, pushing and pressing against his lungs. Dots danced across his sighting.  
  
He was shaking. No, he was being shook.  
_  
His eyes flew open and he saw a face inches from his. Arms were pinning his shoulders down.  He twisted against the grip as his heart raced.   
  
_Kill him. Come on Little God._ _  
  
You don't want to go back do you?  
_  
He clawed at the arms drawing blood. His fist shot out into the face causing a grunt. His knee came up and he stuck it the stomach sending it reeling away from him, freeing him from the hold. 

 _Start over, he's not ready._ _  
  
Start with the legs this time. _

_Or perhaps his pretty little face...  
_  
He bolted up. His was breath quick, he could feel water in his lungs. Why had the cackling stopped?  
  
_You could be a king. They lied to you, they stole you, they tried to kill you.  
_  
Loki twisted around. Where was he? 

  
_You want revenge, right? You're living.. in the shade of his greatness..._  
  
"Loki!"  
  
He launched at the sound, slamming into it, kicking and punching.   
  
_He pushed you into an abyss... tossed you..._  
  
A table over turned and papers flew everywhere. Loki pinned the man down by his throat as he tried to choke him. His heart was racing, pounding, thudding.  
  
_Drepa. Drepa. Kill._  
  
Everything suddenly flipped and the man was now towering over him.  
  
"Loki, calm down!"   
  
He started twisting, lashing out and snarling under the grip, "Ég er að fara að drepa þig!"  
  
Water.. Pouring water.. Dripping on the ground. Can't breathe...  _  
  
_ He was hit across the face, "Brother stop!"  
  
His head jerked to the side, his body stilling. Loki blinked from the slap staring at the man above him.   
  
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Thor.  
  
He was pinned under Thor's weight, trapped. Loki pushed at his shoulders and this time Thor gave way and let him stand.

 

He gulped for air for a moment and found no water. He could feel himself flushing inside, to loss control like that, pathetic. They stood staring at each other, blood running down Thor's arm unattended, both breathing heavily.   
  
It was at that moment Thor's human, Jane, flew in with wide eyes. Her eyes flickered across the mess and then at Loki who was the closest.   
  
"What the hell is going on?" She gaped at the over turned furniture around her living room.  
  
Loki supposed this was a good time as any. He _wasn't_ going to get caught again, he couldn't. He had places to be. He had to get out of here. Loki didn't care what means he used to get out of here. He couldn't do this without leverage as overpowering or outrunning Thor was ridiculous even without the state of himself- all bruised, sleep deprived and bones shattered. Really this was Thor's fault for trusting him. Did he really think he was going to sit and wait for SHIELD to get him? He always had and would do what was necessary to survive, Thor should know that.  
  
His hand shot out and he grabbed Jane by her hair. He yanked her forward against his body, causing her to yelp. Her eyes widened as she struggled in his grip. He slid a blade under her throat causing her to abruptly still.  
  
Thor reacted quickly. His arm jerked out and Mjölnir flew across the room to his open hand. His body was tensed and ready to attack, he raised his-  
  
Loki tutted, pressing the knife to the neck of the struggling woman, "Now, now, none of that _brother_ ," Loki said smoothly, "Another move and I will slit her throat." He flashed a smile, "You know I will."  
  
Thor hesitated, the hammer tight in his grip, "Let Jane go. She's has nothing to do with this."   
  
With Jane in front of him, Thor couldn't strike him without killing his mortal. She offered loose protection, a ticket.  
  
Loki grinned, all teeth, making his eyes darken in a way he knew made him look mad, "There's little chance of that happening." He slunk across the room with Jane in tow.  
  
Thor stepped forward, ready to rip her away, "Listen-"  
  
"No you listen!" Loki hissed, digging the blade in causing blood to drip down Jane's neck. To give her credit, she didn't make a noise and clawed at his rib. He ignored the pain, crushing her in his grip to keep her still.   
  
"Me and your human are going to take a walk," Loki explaining, tilting his head to the door, "If you don't hinder me or follow, I will return her in one piece, yes?"  
  
Thor's hand were tight, his expression was pleading, "Loki you don't have to do this if-"

"Yes I do." Loki snapped.

  
He glared at Thor, dragging her towards the door, "Give me your word you will not follow me and Jane. If you do I will give you mine she'll return unharmed."  
  
Thor eyed Jane and swallowed. Loki pressed the knife in to slicing a nick out of her neck causing her to gasp slightly.  
  
"How can I trust you?" Thor eyed Jane with increasing worry.  
  
Loki widened his eyes, "That's so hurtful..." He tightened his grip on Jane, going serious, "When have I ever broken my word? An oath is an oath, no?"  
  
"I suppose.." Thor admitted.  
  
"Give me your word," Loki demanded, "Or I will have her bleed out at your feet."  
  
Thor eyed Jane with his hammer tight in his grip yet not raised. After a moment of staring at the two of them he narrowed his gaze.  
  
"I give you my word; I will not follow you and Jane." Thor growled, "if you-"  
  
Jane went to shout something but Loki covered her mouth to muffle the sound.   
  
"And I give you mine, she will return unharmed." He replied coolly, dragging her out on to the doorstep.  
  
Thor watched, glowering at him but not moving to stop him. Would this make Thor hate him more? Most likely. But it was necessary as he would never be able to out run Thor.  
  
"If I catch you following I will carve her eyes out." Loki vowed.  
  
This earned a snarl but Thor didn't follow, just as he had promised. He must trust him to extent, Loki mused, be it only by the power of an oath. He winked at Thor before taking off down the steps with Jane squirming in his grip.

 

As he moved quickly down the dusty path leaving the house behind with long strides he didn't smile at finally getting away, that would be tempting the Norns. The morning light was peering through, giving light to the dusty terrain. There was the sound of crickets in clusters of bushes like an orchestra of shrill voices. He had absolutely no idea where he was. Texas? New Mexico? Either way it wasn't New York, where he needed to be. He followed a long road away from the direction of the house. The dust left annoying white marks on his boots. With each step he found his feet ached, in fact his whole body did. The sore ache of a rib rubbing against his insides caused constant pain. He had to concentrate hard on dragging the struggling woman without losing grip. She had a lot of fire he'd give her that.  
  
Loki wasn't sure how long they walked. It felt like a long time but it could have easily been five or thirty minutes. He kept glancing at the sky despite himself, it was silly Thor would not follow.  
  
They reached a cluster of buildings and shops which he supposed could be called a town. Jane was hissing something or the other as they moved through the town. He warned her as they moved past people setting up stalls that if she made a scene he would kill her. This had the desired effect since she seemed to take him seriously and stilled to a kind of sulk. This allowed for some quiet but better still, the ability to pretend he simply had an arm across her shoulder as a lover would, the knife partly hidden. They walked past a couple people rushing down the path to a desired location yet none of them even glanced at them.

 

As they reached the edge of the town he stopped. To his amusement Jane stumbled as he freed her from his grasp.  
  
"Go." He said coldly.

 

Loki watched as she stared at him in surprise. Her surprise quickly changed to anger as her hand flew out to slap him but he caught her wrist easily.   
  
"Try that again," Loki grounded, his grip tightening in her hand, "And I'll cut it off."  
  
Jane jerked her hand out his grip as if it had burned her. "You're a monster." She spat.  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "Do you have no self-preservation?"  
  
Her fists were balled, "I have plenty."  
  
"Then use it."

 

He was tiring of this woman very quickly. Loki wanted to separate her head from her neck so badly.

 

His hand shot out, yanking a man who had been slipping past. The man yelled out but before the man could struggle Loki thrust the glinting blade through his heart. He enjoyed the surprise and fear that lit up in his eyes before it was erased with sharp, uncontrollable pain.  
  
Jane cried out as he drew the blade out and the man sank down at her feet.  
  
Loki grinned at her, "It's only my word to Thor that's stopping this," He motioned at the gurgling man clutching at the hole in chest, "From being you."  
  
Jane was on her knees, blood covering her hand as she tried to help the man, in some sort attempt to stop the bleeding. It was futile he was already chocking in his blood in an amusing manner. Jane looked up at him with a look in her eyes he knew well. It was the moment she truly saw him.   
  
"If you or Thor follow me I will kill you both." Loki pointed the bloodied knife at her, "Pray to your God I never see you again."  
  
He turned and disappeared down an alley. It was narrow and empty of people as he strode through it, avoiding some boxes stacked to the side.  With a faint smirk he wiped the blood off his knife onto his shirt before slipping it into his pocket. Jane didn't shout anything after him, seeming too shocked. Had she thought he wasn't capable of something like that? Maybe they were all as stupid as they looked. Either way it had had the desired effect- a distraction.   
  
Loki strode out of the alley and down some sort of long road. The sun was starting to fully appear now in warm red colours but it was still too early to be round. He glanced at the open sky and he shivered, he was free even if it was only for now. Glancing up and down the road Loki saw there was no bus stop. He had a little money he mused, fingering Jane's stolen purse in his hand that he had slipped from her pocket while they'd been walking. Money was useless if there was no bus. He let out a growl kicking a rock so hard it almost hit a car driving past. He eyed the back of the retreating vehicle; its number plate was nearly completely brown with dust.  
  
He continued down the road with a tight burning pain in his chest. Had kicking his chest in been really necessary? Every breathe he took felt tight and stung from the broken rib. He was going to burn SHIELD down along with the rest of those pointless organisations, he told himself.  
  
Loki heard the rumble of an approaching vehicle and the crunch of stones beneath its tires. Loki paused and stuck his hand out with his thumb up but it continued past with no hesitation. He clashed his teeth together and continued along the road away from Jane and Darcy's home. Every time a car passed he stuck his hand out in the hopes one would stop but they all whizzed past, not even slowing down. He couldn't blame them as he looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a dozen Bilgesnipe. His clothes had seen better days and his hair was probably the only thing that wasn't ragged even if it fell over most of his face as he walked.  
  
Eventually he stuck his hand out at a speeding car and it screeched to a stop, bring up the puffs of dust all around it. His hair was still over his face and eyes as he eyed the vehicle. The car looked a bit banged up with its chipped red paint and missing hubcap but he wasn't going to complain. It wasn't like he could walk all the way to New York.  
  
The window rolled down and a man with a roughly shaved beard stuck his head out. "You need a ride, lassie?"  
  
Loki nodded keeping his eyes cased down, his jaw clenched.  
  
The man grinned waving his hand, "Get in then, I don't bite."  
  
Loki went around the side and climbed in the front seat. The seats were made of fake leather and the floor was covered with cans and empty packets with a weird smell coming from the back. He let out a tiny sigh as his legs relaxed after having the weight off of them. The car pulled away from the side of the road as rain started rattling down. The sky had gone suddenly dark and the rain was coming down in sheets as it lashed and whipped against the windscreen. The man behind the wheel whistled at the rain but Loki eyed it wearily. The dotted line on the road whizzed past in the whirl of water almost becoming one line as the car moved along the road, wheezing as it went. He kept his head down with his hair splayed over his face.  
  
"Hun', where are you heading?" The man asked turning to glance at him. There was something under that gaze.  
  
"New York." Loki said softly.  
  
"New York?" The man laughed, "That'll take over a day to get to 'tis miles away."

  
"Just take me as far as you can." Loki murmured.  
  
The rain was dashing down hard now.  A crack of thunder erupted moments before lightning spread across the sky in a flash of blinding white. The road was barely visible in the heavy rain as the car turned off the main road heading to what seemed to be a more secluded dirt road. Loki's hand slid slowly into his pocket as the car slowly came to a stop.  
  
"Why are we stopping?"  
  
The man rested a hand on his knee, "I can't take you all the way to New York without a little _payment_ now can I, darling?"  
  
Loki became aware of his hand sliding up his inner thigh. He shuddered as his fingers hungrily snaked all the way up. As the man leant in Loki could smell his rank breath. The man's other hand reached out for behind his neck to draw him close. His lips were inches from his nearly brushing against his. Loki snapped. He grabbed the man's head and smashed it into the side window with a loud crack. The man cried out and threw a punch that Loki barely managed to dodge in the cramped space. Loki grabbed the man's hair tightly and slammed it hard into the dashboard, dazing him as he let out a grunt. Loki quickly drew the blade from his pocket.   
  
"You bitch!" The man snarled as blood dripping from his nose. He caught a glimpse of Loki's face as the hair fell away and blinked.  
  
"Wait, you're not-"  
  
Loki struck the man across the face earning a gasp before slipping a knife under his chin. Loki bared his teeth digging the blade into his throat causing the man to freeze.   
  
"Drive!" Loki thundered.  
  
Loki would kill him after he was as far away from his idiot _brother_ as he could be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for such a gap between chapters, if I'm honest my mental health had a massive decline and it made it impossible to edit this chapter. To make it worse I convinced myself that my writing was terrible but I've finally pulled through with this chapter. I've had to just stop compulsively editing it and striving for perfectionism. Chapters should be more frequent as I'm going to attempt to stop trying to make them a high standard that I can't achieve.  
> Anyhow please let me know what you think of the chapter? ^_^


	12. Retracing Lost Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: (Normal gore/violence warning) + panic attack, miscarriage
> 
> Note: To readers reading this at the time of publishing- Fenrir's voice is going to be in italics from this point and in previous scenes (When I edit it soon) so don't be confused ^^; It was always supposed to be that way, anyway enjoy..

The white tiled walls were grey and chipped with black sooty marks lining it. Loki's sharp footsteps on the concrete echoed off the subway station's curved ceiling as he walked along the abandoned platform. Large pillars holding the roof were covered in graffiti. The spray paint was worn and slowly peeling away.

Loki jumped down onto the tracks, careful to miss the narrow piece of metal. He had little fear of a train coming but he still looked out into the darkness of the tunnel. The dust and gravel seemed to rise up around him and Loki could almost feel the rumble and shaking vibrations of a train. Loki could almost hear the rattle of metal shifting under the wheels and feel the shift of air parting suddenly. In reality it was silent, apart from the crunch of gravel beneath his boots as he followed the track down the narrow tunnel. His coat brushed against the blackened walls as he strode through the dimness. 

Loki paused for a moment when he made out something tall and broad blocking his path. Loki couldn't make it out, it was probably some debris or something that had been dumped. Loki clutched at his side as he climbed over it. He winced at the twinge of pain he felt from his rib pressing down against his insides, causing him to gasp shallowly.

His hair whipped around him as Loki dropped back down with a soft crunch of gravel. His hair was shorter now. It fell in black waves around his face and settling down his neck almost touching his shoulder, yet no longer bypassing it.

Loki had cut it off at a rest stop as soon as he had managed to stop. Standing in front of a small mirror, with a discoloured sink resting against his stomach, he had carefully sliced clumps of hair away with his knife. By the end there had been a sea of black in the sink, his hair short, and his appearance faintly altered. He'd let it get too wild as before it had looked too much like someone he wanted to forget. 

Ignoring the mixed smell of urine and booze Loki had washed the sticky blood from his hands. The red tinged water swirled in the sink and vanished within seconds, leaving only a small residue to remind him of what he had done.  

Loki had found it so _satisfying_ killing him.

It had taken a short moment to convince the man to get the car back in gear but of course it wasn't surprising how persuasive a knife to a throat could be. 

He let the bastard drive for miles, leaving the crashing thunder far behind. It was probably why the man had lived as long as he did - Loki had wanted to get away and he couldn't afford to have his first test drive with Thor and Jane so close.

It had been strained in the car. Dust flying up like mist as the car cut through the road, the man's hands tight around the wheel. Loki could almost see the man's veins throbbing under the threat of his blade, and sweat glistening down his brow.

When the gas ran out and the car rolled to a stop, coughing and spluttering with last life, Loki smiled at the man. He saw realisation in the man's eyes of the inescapability of his mortality before Loki brought the knife up. With one clean swipe Loki slit his throat open. Warm blood sprayed out, gushing across the windshield, as the man gurgled and brought his hands up to his neck. His eyes went wide like a frog as his hands became drenched in his own blood and his attempts at screaming met no one's ears.

Loki threw his body in the backseat. He took his wallet and left the car in the street with the keys still in the ignition. The man had deserved much worse, the pervert.

Within ten minutes Loki had a change of clothes and finally felt free of the grim of SHIELD and the man that had seemed to cling to his clothes. Like this now, he should be able to pick up a better type of driver.

As it turned out the next man to give him a lift was still a bit creepy, a businessman as far as Loki could tell, but he was as skinny as a bunch of sticks and seemed relatively harmless. The car was considerable more comfortable, no litter or weird smells, even a descent radio. The man was able to take a good couple of hours off the journey as he was heading part of the direction Loki needed.

Loki had stared out the window, watching the scenery pass him by. The trees and buildings became a colourful blur as the car sped up once more. To the driver he must have looked relaxed almost asleep gazing out the window but inside he was as tense as a bow, ready to strike any threat. 

It never came to that. Eventually they parted ways and Loki had to hitchhike a couple more times as not one person seemed to be going straight to New York. He congratulated himself for not killing some of the drivers for their terrible taste in music. He couldn't believe some people listened to... _that_. They were lucky he needed them. He hadn't quite got around to learning how to drive. He understood the basics of the machine but the journey was too long for a first time and it was a sure way to get caught if he messed up. 

Most annoying of all, it was boring. There was only so much staring out of windows he could do. It didn't help with the aching pain of his ribs that never let him quite settle. He also got the constant questions of _: Are you alright? What's with the bandage? What happened to your face? Do you need to call someone? Are you okay?_ Seriously, if he heard that again, he was going to skin them.

Despite not feeling far enough away from Thor and SHIELD, Loki had ended up falling asleep stood up in the doorway of a back alley, having travelled 18 hours on and off in different cars. It wasn't like he had a choice as he could barely keep his eyes open. He just couldn't bring himself to trust the drivers enough to sleep while they drove.  

When Loki awoke he may or may not have stabbed a homeless man. If someone is going to wake him up in an alley, they had to be held responsible for startling him. He had fallen asleep with his hand around the blade so when he was awoken... Never mind.

After that Loki got one more car to the edge of New York, feeling a bit more awake. He then managed to get a cab into the centre with the last of Jane's money.

Now he had made it here, under New York, in a long since abandoned subway track. Loki had been walking along its track for a long while now before he came to a stop in front of a stone pillar that rose up into the darkness. He could barely see in the darkness, it was thick and seemed to cling to him. Loki stared at a long brick wall covered in black grime that rose up behind the pillar. Along the wall's surface were long cracks in its brick, giving it the look of cracked glass.

Loki turned away and averted his eyes from the wall. He clenched his hands and waited in the darkness. He let out a slow breathe, unclenching his hands as he prepared himself. Loki waited a moment longer, trying not to tense up, and without turning fully allowed himself to glimpse the wall but only from the corner of his eye. The bricks looked the same, a mass of cracked stone like someone had been trying to break out. He kept his breathing slow, still glancing at the wall but not quite looking at it.

Loki remained motionless as the bricks seemed to move on their own. It was slow at first, one brick knocking against the other. It almost seemed like a trick of an eye as the whole wall seemed to curve and curl. The wall seemed to bend and twist in small disjointed waves of fractured brick, making a sound like the cracking of a spine. It seemed to vibrate as the movement became more erratic as it cracked against itself like a coiling snake. 

Slowly without fully looking, Loki reached out as if to simply touch the wall. Instead of his hand gently resting against the wall, his hand actually sunk through like he was pushing through thick cement. Loki couldn't pull his hand back as he was dragged forward towards the wall as if he was being pulled by quicksand.  Loki's whole body went oddly cold as he was yanked through the wall and his body became nothing, almost part of the twisting mass. Loki couldn't breathe as he had no sense of self. He was floating in nothingness, twisting and turning, bodiless. The very parts that made up his body seemed to be nowhere and everywhere. It was only his mind that seemed to twist and tumble in the blinding light that glowed from everywhere. 

All at once, but at the same time, after an eternity Loki was spat out into the light. He fell hard into snow, rolling for a couple of moments before coming to a stop. Loki barely felt the cold as he stared up at the forest suddenly spread out around him. The trees rose high up surrounding him like warriors stood to attention. Their thin arms stretched out to grab him from all directions.

Loki pushed himself up onto his knees before realising the odd feeling had spread across him. It was akin to pins and needles. His whole body from head to toe felt like it was encased in thick ice, trapping him inside. He glanced down only for his breath to catch in his throat, as he almost choked on the air. His skin had turned blue. He stared in breathless horror at the alien blue rising over his skin with white intents and the red scars ripping them apart. His whole body was covered in disgusting blue, it looked so _wrong_. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again but his arms were still blue. He could feel his body beginning to tremor as nausea began to rise up.

_\-- Monster. Jotunn... Brute... **Monster.**_

_Savage._

**_JOTUN_ **

He tore at his skin. He ripped it with his nails, trying to shred the blue. If Loki could just tear it off he could free himself of it and then white skin would come back. Loki let out a sob as clawed at the hideous blue. He wanted it gone. His breath turned ragged. He couldn't breathe air. There was no air. All Loki could see was blue mixed with red. Yet no matter how much red poured over the blue wouldn't go away.

Everything else faded into a blur of blue. Loki gasped and gasped. This wasn't him. This wasn't _him_. Loki clamped his hands over his ears, crashing down into the snow. 

His lungs burnt as his breath left his mouth too quickly and no air came in. The whole world seemed to pulse and spin. He clammed his eyes closed panting and gasping, clawing at himself. Everything started blurring as pain flared up in his ribs, making it impossible to breath. 

Loki found he was floating over the panic, barely aware of anything else but being trapped in blue, whilst being drowning in waves of terror. His whole body was shaken with tremors and surges of sickness rose over him as the pain turned everything white. It was when everything seemed to buzz and he was drifting high above the clashes and surges of panic that everything went blank and language became obtuse. It was all too much. 

Eventually Loki opened his eyes finally coming back to himself. He saw with great relief his skin was back to white. It was milky and white as it always was, though a bit paler than usual. It was now slightly tinged in red where he could see he had torn some of the skin. Trying to ignore the aching of his arms and chest, Loki shakily pulled himself out of the snow. He only now realised how damp his clothes were. He could see the trees still stood tall around him but now it felt like they were silent judging him for his weakness. 

He dragged his hair out of his eyes, berating his stupidity.  Loki gritted his teeth, trying to keep his hands from shaking, and instead forced himself to look around for any sign of Fenrir. He skirted around the edge of the trees but found nothing and instead backtracked to where the snow was compressed and disturbed from where he had fallen out of the pathway. There was now no sign of the pathway except for the faint shimmering of air above the pressed snow. It took Loki a moment but he eventually noticed that a little away there were large tracks. He bent examining them and after seeing they were large wolf prints decided to follow them. 

Loki walked some distance, following the path through the twisting trees. The crunch of the snow beneath his boots made him feel a little paranoid despite knowing he was alone. Loki didn't feel the chill as he walked despite being soaked through; Loki supposed he should be ill from the cold. However the pain caused him to stop multiple times because his lungs hurt too much for him to breathe properly.

It was after following the tracks for a good half an hour that Loki started to feel uneasy. He paused every so often glancing around, yet spotted nothing, even though he was sure there should be something in-between the trees watching him, waiting for him. 

Loki passed down a slight decline, his feet sliding part of the way down. Loki heard a crunch of snow behind him as he reached its end. He spun around with his knife drawn. A large shadow fell over him and he was knocked violently into the snow. Loki grunted out in pain, struggling under the weight as he was forcibly pinned down under a heavy force. He couldn't move.

\---

  
Tony threw his hands up into the air. "So let's get this straight." Tony snapped at Thor, "You _knew_ Loki was just prancing around instead of locked up somewhere and you didn't think to tell anyone?" 

Thor opened his mouth but Tony cut him off, "And Shield finally caught him, what did you do?" He turned to look at Thor to see his mouth pressed into a thin line and his brows tightly knitted but it did nothing to stop him from continuing. "You break him out and fly off into the bloody sunset! But hey, it doesn't end there," Tony let out a short humourless laugh, "You straight up let him go."  
  
Thor let out a short huff, causing Tony to clench his fists to stop him shaking Thor by his shoulders (which would have been stupid due to the pure size of the man.) 

"He could be anywhere now!" Tony scraped his fingers through his hair and twisted around. 

He took a couple of deep breaths, ignoring the fact that pretty much everyone in the room was now staring at him. He was after all the only sane person in this room, apart from maybe Jarvis. He drew away from Thor and moved towards the expansive windows that showed the large city below. Tony watched the way the sun seemed to catch the glass of the other buildings making them look like they had caught fire in a golden hue. He almost wanted to rest his forehead against the glass and watch, knowing it would be cool to the touch.

When Tony could finally unclench his fists he resisted looking at Thor and instead glanced over at Cap, who was surprisingly awake despite only just getting back from a mission. He turned to Coulson, who was stood in his pristine suit. No surprise there.

"How did you even catch Loki in the first place?" Tony asked the Agent.  
  
Not even looking up from his phone, Coulson replied, "We used CCTV cameras and tracked his gun serial number."  
  
"Huh..." Tony breathed before looking back at Thor, trying his best not to scowl at him.  Using his best levelled voice he asked, "So why'd you break him out? I know he's your little brother and all but now he is free he's probably not helping old ladies cross the road or getting cats out of trees."  
  
Thor hesitated, his eyes narrowing for a moment and Tony though for a second that he wouldn't reply but Thor finally rumbled out, "My brother was being treated unfairly by the Men of the Shield, I could not leave him to such a fate."  
  
Tony could almost scream, except now it was at Shield rather than Thor. This was just typical Shield, he couldn't trust them as far as he could throw them (well he could probably throw them quite far in his Suit but that was beside the point). They just couldn't have one little toy without trying to take it apart and break it. They were all mad about their alien testing or just general super-anything dissection. Loki was a bit of a dick (a massive dick actually), he'd give Fury that but _if_ they'd gone over top- who was he kidding? They probably had. They'd probably done a lot worse than what he could imagine and he had a big imagination.  
  
Tony quirked an eyebrow at Coulson but the man remained stone faced and didn't confirm or deny what Thor was accusing, which was an answer by itself. _Jesus Christ on a horse..._  
  
Darcy spoke up into the growing silence with her chin up and one hand on her hip, "I can back up Big Bear over there." She said, jerking her head in Thor's direction. "Shield did a complete number on Lokes, he was all battered up when Thor dragged him in. Lokes was ravin' on about how he couldn't go back there and was all messed up with broken bones and stuff."  
  
Tony turned to Coulson, "Shield gave orders to beat the crap out of Reindeer Games, didn't they?"  
  
Coulson shook his head, looking at him with a serious expression, "There was no such order. The only order I am aware of was to keep Loki Odinson contained until a more permanent solution could be arranged. The objective was to neutralise his danger towards citizens, nothing more." 

Darcy snorted and raised an eyebrow at him, "Well Mr. IPod Snatcher, someone at Shield clearly didn't get the memo."

Coulson glanced up from his phone, "The matter is being looked into, if you w-"

Thor reared up like a bull, "My brother was gravely ill-treated and you would mock-" 

Steve cleared his throat and placed a hand on Thor's shoulder. This caused Thor to hesitated and look over at him, "Thor," Steve said stiffly, steering the conversation, "I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for what happened to your brother." He gave Thor that stern _'I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed looks'_ that Tony hated so much before sternly saying, "You should have told us Loki had been banished to Earth."  
  
Darcy leant in to Tony and whispered with a smirk, "I've now tasered not one but two Norse Gods."  
  
Tony snorted despite himself, "You tasered Loki?"  
  
"Uh huh." She grinned, tucking some hair behind her ear. Tony could see a mischievous glimmer in her eyes that reminded him of someone, but he wasn't sure who.  
  
"Nice one," He smirked, resisting the urge to high five her.  
  
Steve shot them a look that Tony assumed was to tell them to _'shut up'_ , before turning back to Thor, "Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"The All-Father wanted to give my brother the same fresh start that I received." Thor folded his arms tightly, his eyes boring into Steve, "This couldn't be done if you, my friends, knew Loki was here. You wouldn't have given him a chance."  
  
"I'm sure all of the people he _murdered_ would agree." Clint muttered from where he was perched on top of the back of the sofa.  
  
Thor flinched, "We didn't know that would happen. Without his powers Loki should not have been able to cause more than minimal trouble. Instead Loki should been learning humility, benevolence and the error of his ways, just as I did when Father banished me to Midgard." Thor stared fiercely at Steve as if the longer he looked the more he would get his point across.  
  
Tony didn't even know where to start with that logic, surely it should have been obvious that even if you took away Lokes magic he would still a psycho who would just be even more pissed off. It was like cutting off a man's arm off and being surprised when he got pissy and slapped you across the face with the other. You just couldn't let a psychopath loose and expect him to go, "Shiiit, I really need to get my life together. I'm gonna stop with world domination and just go work at Starbucks," It just wouldn't work like that.  
  
"Well, that's just okay then." Tony muttered, rubbing his temples. He perked up a little as he remembered a question that had been bothering him for a while, "So what's with Loki's wolf, Big Guy? I don't remember you saying anything about him getting a free therapy puppy with every trip to Earth or Midgag-whatever."  
  
"Wolf?" Thor blinked, "I recall no wolf on the flying ship."  
  
Tony shot Coulson a look as the Agent moved a little out of the shadows and more over to where Natasha was lurking close to Clint. What was it with them and lurking? _Spies_...  
  
"Loki did eject a wolf from the Helicarrier via the Hulk containment container." Coulson explained, sliding a hand into his pocket.  
  
Tony noticed Bruce winced slightly from the corner of his eye.   
  
"Did the wolf survive?" Tony asked leaning forward, "God, why would Loki do that?" Tony muttered more to himself than anyone else.  
  
"It is not confirmed at this time," Coulson said, folding his arms, "The container crushed a housing complex but no wolf, dead or alive, was found in our search. Shield is still looking into it."  
  
Thor's brows furrowed, "My brother has never had any affiliation with wolves."  
  
"Yay! Mystery." Tony cheered before rubbing his face with his hands for a moment. He drew up again and leant against the glass, since he knew it could easily to take his weight. It was more than bullet proof after all, "So in summary, Rudolf has been here for months because Pikachu over there didn't say anything because it would ruin Lokes big redemption. This of course means Loki may now have gone a little murdery but hey Shield caught him.. Oops no, Pikachu rescued him and now we don't know where Loki is." Tony let out a sigh, turning to Thor, "Not that you're not always welcome here but shouldn't you be out looking for your brother, instead of standing here?"  
  
"My brother is hard to track," Thor said, rubbing his hands together, "Son of Coul insisted that I will need you, my Shield brothers-" Natasha arched a brow at him. "And Shield sisters," Thor fumbled, "As son of Coul will not give me the exact location without your assistance."  
  
Thor hand shot out and there was a shift of air and suddenly he was grasping his hammer with a clear metallic ping, "There is a quest Son of Coul insists you must join me on."  
  
"Really, huh?"

  
"We have reason to believe Loki is in Sokovia, the Quinjet is being prepared as we speak." Coulson said, drawing what looked like a StarkPad from the inside of his suit.

"How is Loki in Sokovia?" Bruce asked softly, "That's a long way away."

Steve nodded in agreement, pulling himself off the sofa, "It seems a little odd for Loki to suddenly travel to Sokovia after being in New York for so long. How do you know he is in Sokovia?"

"Shield has been tracking Loki ever since Thor broke him out." Coulson answered, "He was consistently heading towards New York however after arriving he promptly vanished. With the help of an informant we were able to pick an unusual energy signature in Sokovia around the time Loki vanished."

"Vanished?" Tony asked quirking his eyebrow. 

Coulson pushed the StarkPad across the coffee table in front of them, open on what looked like a security feed. Steve leant in, his brows coming together into a frown, almost blocking Tony's view of the screen. It wasn't like there was much to see. It was what looked like a subway station packed with people milling about the platform. Coulson pointed down to the image of a tall man in a long black coat blending in with the crowd. It took Tony a moment to realise that it was Loki. His hair was shorter, his posture more lax than he had been before. As Tony watched the figure of Loki moved down the platform. He noticed Loki was walking weirdly, his hand pressed to his side, walking at a slight angle as if he was injured. 

A train shot into the station and the doors flew open allowing streams of people to pile on and off. Tony tried to keep track of Loki as he weaved in and out of people getting on and off but after a while he couldn't. The doors slid shut and the train picked up speed and disappeared down the tunnel, yet there was no Loki on the platform. He couldn't tell if Loki had got on the train or not, there had been too much going on.

"And after this footage we could find no trace of him." Coulson said, taking back the StarkPad.

"Did he get on the train?" Tony asked, rubbing at his chin, his beard rough to his hands.

"No," Coulson replied, slipping the StarkPad back into his suit pocket, "We couldn't catch Loki on any of the CCTV inside the carriages."

"Did you check the tunnels?"

Coulson nodded, "I personally sent multiple units down there but there was no sign of Loki at all." He replied, crossing his arms again, "It wasn't until our informant picked up odd energy readings within Sokovia at the same time Loki vanished, that we had a lead on him."

Tony frowned for a moment, trying to work out how Loki could have vanished from CCTV like that without any sort of hocus pocus. Unless of course it was...

 "I still don't understand how Loki vanishing from a New York subway is suddenly being implicated with energy spikes in Sokovia." Steve said.

"Our informant assures us that the energy spikes match-"

  
"Loki most likely used one of his pathways," Thor interrupted, twisting his hammer in his grip. He didn't seem to notice he had cut off Coulson.  
  
"Pathways?"  Tony questioned.  
  
Thor frowned for a moment, "I believe you call them portals?"  
  
"Right." Tony grumbled, running a hand through his hair, trying to resist the urge to drag Thor down to his lab and demand him to tell him everything about these 'portals'. Instead he asked Coulson, "Why are you involving us if you know where he is? Thor looks quite happy to do this wild goose chase by himself." He folded his arms as he leant back against a wall.  
  
"We need to predict his next move." Coulson said, moving forward, "Shield wants to know what the link to Loki's sudden movement has with him breaking into this tower." He looked straight at Tony, "We need to know if where he is going is linked to any of the stolen Shield files he accessed here."

"There's no way-"

  
"If I may, sir?  Jarvis broke in, startling Darcy into letting out a tiny squeak. Clint sniggered causing Darcy to shoot Clint what Tony could only assume was her attempt at a death glare.

Tony paused, wanting to glare up at one of Jarvis' cameras, "Go on." 

"Mr. Odinson showed particular interest in a file about Hydra base locations, even going so far as to transfer them, as well as a few other files."

"What are you saying?" Steve's eyes widened and he looked up at the ceiling as if Jarvis was trapped in there. Tony had to keep himself from smirking.

"The file in question contained possible locations for the sceptre, one of these locations being a Hydra base in Sokovia. This is one of the many files that were downloaded so it could be inferred..."

"That this is where Loki is going," Tony broke in, before pausing for a moment, "He must be going after the Sceptre then..."

"Precisely, sir." 

"Nice work," Tony said grinning. 

"A pleasure as always, sir."

Tony turned to Coulson, widening his grin, "Is that what you needed?" 

Coulson nodded before straightening up, looking all business once again, "We are running dangerously behind schedule. We need to move immediately if we are going to intercept Loki before he reclaims the sceptre," He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together, "I think to make this easier, it's time to introduce our informant who will be able to help tracking Loki more efficiently." 

"We finally get to meet this mystery informant?" Tony grinned, trying not to bounce up and down like a little kid.

Coulson touched his ear and muttered a couple of words. He paused for a moment and Tony caught the sound of a response before Coulson dropped his hand and looked over to the elevator. Tony frowned a little, trying to work out Coulson's game. No one else, apart from Pepper, had access to this floor so if he was waiting for someone he would be sorely disappointed. No one was coming, especially not his anonymous informant.

The elevator binged causing Tony to startle slightly. That wasn't possible. There was absolutely no way... yet he stared in shock as the doors silently slid open. Someone stepped out of the elevator with a smirk plastered across their face. Their every movement was fluid as they moved forward with more grace than Tony thought possible.

Thor let out a snarl.  No one, not even Coulson could stop Thor as he launched forward.

" **YOU!** " Thor bellowed with his hammer already in full swing.

   
Tony could only stare at the new arrival, his brain not quite able to process what was going on. Despite himself he let out a whistle, "Hot damn."

\--- 

Loki gasped in pain as he found it impossible to breathe under the tight confines of the heavy load. It felt as if his broken rib was being crushed into him under the pressure. It was stabbing into him.

Loki tensed and moved to thrust knife up into the heart of his attacker. At the last moment Loki managed to make sense of the huge black mass over him. He let the knife drop, almost sagging in relief.

"Fenrir," Loki gasped out.

The wolf stared down at him. His sharp green eyes glinted dangerously in the light. His large paws were pressed into his chest with the long claws digging in painfully. Loki could almost see the indents it was surely causing. 

 _"You nearly killed me."_ Fenrir growled through his mind so loudly it nearly caused his head to throb.

"I didn't th-ough," Loki grated, his chest burning from the effort of breathing.   

The wolf snarled with his teeth bared aggressively as he lowered his muzzle towards him, _"I could have taken every single one of those mortals! And you should have let me but instead you nearly sent me to my death!"_

"I couldn't risk-" Loki stained, struggling to get the word out from under the weight, "There wasn't en-ough time-- to crack the-" 

 _"You **left** me."_ Fenrir's claws dug in deeper, _"I didn't know if you were even coming back."_

"Of course--I was..." Loki wheezed.   

His hand grasping at Fenrir's paw was weakening. Loki was beginning to see dots dancing in front of his eyes as the weight of his son started to get too much for him. 

Fenrir stared down at him with huge jade eyes as if he was only just properly seeing Loki since they had been reunited. Letting out a low growl Fenrir finally released his grip on him. Loki coughed under the relieved pressure and dragged himself off the ground. He pulled himself to his feet only to stumble back as the world seemed to tilt and then spin erratically. Loki thought for a second he was going to throw up when nausea washed over him.

 _"By the Nine...What have they done to you?!"_ Fenrir snarled.

Loki gave Fenrir a crooked grin, "You should have seen what I did to them."

Loki steadied himself against the trunk of a tree as his breath started to become steadier. Fenrir narrowed his eyes at him as he edged closer. Almost towering over him, Fenrir's eyes skittered across him.

 _"You're injured,"_ Fenrir's voice vibrated through his head as the wolf tilted his head down to brush his nose against him. 

"Just a broken rib," Loki murmured after a short pause, his hand gripping into the bark of the tree, "And a couple of bruises here and there."

Fenrir let out a disapproving huff and nudged at the wounds on his arms. Moving his head, Fenrir pressed his snout against his chest. After a moment Loki felt warmth spread across his chest like he was stood over a wood fire. An odd fuzzy numbness came over him as a movement crawled beneath his skin like a suppressed shiver or pins and needles. It rose around him until he felt cocooned in a soft warmth. He slowly felt the pressure in his chest disappear and he could draw air into his lungs again. The ache of his arms and stomach subsided before vanishing entirely as the sensation faded away.

Loki opened his eyes, feeling a wave of energy pass through him. Loki glanced at his arms but only found pale white skin, no red claw marks or bruising around his wrists.  As he looked at his son he knew Fenrir would be frowning deeply at him if he could. Instead his tail was lower than usual and his ears weren't perked up.

Loki rested his hand of Fenrir's muzzle for a moment. He felt the urge to wrap his arms around him and never let go. He wanted to say something to him to tell him... Yet all that came out was a command that they should get moving.

 _"How far away did you say the base was?"_ Fenrir rumbled in response.

Loki swallowed before giving a simple shrug, "It's quite a distance but I know somewhere we can stop about half way," He replied and started walking off.

Fenrir followed in slow but large strides, easily keeping up with him. His feet crunched in the snow leaving big paw prints.

" _What's the plan when we get the sceptre?"_ Fenrir asked after a couple of moments of walking in relative silence. 

Loki raised a brow, "We have to get it first, Fenrir, and considering we only have a one in four chance that Hydra base we are heading to have it, you might want to hold off celebrating just yet."

 _"I was just curious,"_                                    

"Well curiosity did kill the ca-" Loki cleared his throat and grinned as Fenrir shot him a fierce glare. Fenrir bumped him with his head causing Loki to stumble but it only caused Loki's grin to widen until Fenrir let out a snort. 

After that they walked in a comfortable silence. Occasionally Fenrir would speed up, darting through the snow, barrelling down the hills but most of the time he walked a few steps ahead of Loki. Loki simply watched in amusement as Fenrir ran through the snow with his tongue hanging out, his feet flying and sending snow everywhere.

Finding he was too tired to go any further, Loki set down to rest as the sun began to dip behind the icy hills. Fenrir darted around for a couple of minutes before settling beside him with little complaint as Loki's eyes fell shut. 

\---

_Thick, shrill screams filled the air. It pierced his ears, making him want to claw them out just for a moments silence. The loud echoing screams went on and on, despite how much Loki wished they would stop._

_Dazed, Loki glanced around to try to see whoever was screaming. He wanted to tell them to shut up before he made them. Preferably they would stop by themselves as he was just so... tired. He scanned around him but found no one was screaming. There was no one because the screaming was coming from him. Loki was suddenly aware that his nails were digging into the ground beneath the snow. He was clutching at the ground as if letting go would cause him to drown under the sea of his cries._

_He stared down through fuzzy eyes to look at the bleach white snow but it wasn't, it was red. All around him the snow was stained red with blood. His blood. The white snow between his legs was turning a deep red as blood began to pool._

_Loki let out a long scream as he felt like he was being ripping apart. It was as if his insides were being torn out, clawed and burned. Loki cried out for someone to help him. No one heard. No one cared to come._

_He was alone as the agony made him collapse against the snow. He barely felt its cold bite against his skin. He was alone as he stared up into the darkness. Nausea and crippling fear gripped him tight. He let out one last shrill scream out of his sore abused throat before pain sliced through him. He wasn't alone now but that was worse. Between his legs lay a lifeless form in the wet scarlet snow. He started to cry._

\---

He jerked awake nearly rolling straight into Fenrir. Loki gasped for breath as his eyes flittered across the snow.

_White...White...Hvítur..._

Loki pressed his hand into the snow savouring the feeling of its chill against his fingers. He took a ragged breath, closing his eyes and opening them again to find it was still white. It was still there. He shivered but not from the cold and dragged himself up. Loki didn't look but he could feel Fenrir's eyes on him. They seemed to burn right into him.

"Come on, let's keep moving," Loki snapped before stalking off between the trees, not wanting to look at Fenrir. He tried to ignore the pounding of his heart as he moved quickly through the deep snow. 

Fenrir tried to probe him about what had happened but Loki ignored the questions. He just couldn't bring himself to answer. He could only keep moving. Fenrir eventually seemed to let the whole thing go, even if it was only for the moment.

Loki wasn't sure how long they walked but at one point it got so dark he could barely see in front of him. It felt like he was going to endlessly walk in complete darkness in the forest but eventually it grew light. Yet as they continued the journey Loki had to watch the sun rise over the sky throughout the day before dipping slowly once more. 

When Loki knew they were close to the place he had planned for them to rest it was late in the afternoon and the sky had turned into an orange haze. It was almost a relief when he spotted the carefully placed rocks which he was able to follow like breadcrumbs for a couple of minutes. They seemed to be placed randomly but Loki knew that was not the case as he had placed them himself many, many years earlier. They kept following them until they abruptly vanished all together and left them stood in an empty clearing in the woods. Loki stared out at the long grass of the expansive land. 

 _"Are you okay?"_ Fenrir asked him with mild concern, which was likely due to him seemingly stopping in the middle of nowhere to just stare.

"We're here." Loki said, scanning the empty plain.

 _"This is the place?"_ Fenrir asked disgruntled.

"It will be," Loki smirked, "Stand over there," He said pointing a couple of steps ahead and waited until Fenrir got into position before continuing, "The place is hidden with a cloaking spell I put up and since I can't counter it myself for obvious reasons," He flicked his hands, "I'm going to need you to do it."

Fenrir gnashed his teeth, _"I can't do those sorts of spells,"_

"Sure you can," Loki smirked, his eyes glinting, "I'll guide you through it,"

Fenrir with some reluctance followed Loki's commands as he taught him the steps to unravel his spell that had been placed over the clearing. It was a simple spell to remove when shown how. Even so Loki could tell it was a great strain on his son as he carefully followed each step. It made sense as Fenrir's reservoir of seidr was severely reduced.

They were both rewarded when finally the whole clearing flashed with blinding green light causing a glowing green mist to rise up. As the mist slowly cleared it revealed the space to no longer be empty. Loki watched as the familiar house rose up out of the mist, along with long fields and rough, worn paths around it that had previously hidden.                     

Loki glanced to see Fenrir staring at the large structure in front of him and smirked, "I told you I knew a place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look a new chapter *Nervous laughter* Exams and stuff happened so yeah...  
> A new chapter should be up in the next 2 weeks.  
> Let me know what you think? It helps speed up my writing


	13. Home Should Be Where The Heart is

Fenrir felt the pull of the spell leave him like the snapping of strings. A heavy weight was lifted from him as the green light of his father's enchantment vanished and the house rose up in front of him. It took him a moment to realise that the facade of the clearing was gone and instead lay fields in front of him. Fences and crops spread out before him as well as small wooden buildings that were either barns or sheds. The scent of horses down wind and long grass suddenly filled his nose and Fenrir could feel his stomach rumble in response.   
  
Fenrir followed his father up onto the long porch of the house. The house itself wasn't huge. Here houses seemed small but comfortable and yet in the city, houses climbed high like the twisting golden spires of Asgard. Fenrir shivered at the thought and quickly pushed it away and instead trailed his eyes along the house. He found it had an older look to it like it had been here for a long time. Yet despite its age, it had character that couldn't be achieved from a newer home.  
  
Fenrir watched as Loki rang the doorbell to the house. As his father stood waiting Fenrir noticed he became straighter and stiffer. Fenrir didn't think Loki was aware he was weaving and unweaving his fingers every couple of seconds as he stared at the door. Fenrir saw Loki's hair was shorter and more like how he remembered it. His father's newer darker clothes would have made him look like a shadow if it wasn't for his eyes. Fenrir could have sworn they glowed but perhaps that was just due to the fierce look hidden underneath them. A lot had happened since he had last see his father, he could tell that from just looking at those eyes. There was something lurking under the surface of them that hadn't been there before. There was a new shadow under them and something different in the way Loki held himself. Yet Fenrir could tell something left his father when he looked at him. There was some sort of tension that left his father but at the same time a weight was added to his gaze. It seemed someone had mourned his _exile_ even if it was only one person in the whole of the Nine Realms and for him that was enough.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the front door cracking open. It allowed warm light to pour out and to spill onto the wood of the porch as an orange blaze. In the doorway was a man- no - a teenager. The teenager's piercing blue eyes were narrowed between his black hair.

Fenrir spotted in his clenched hand was the handle of an axe. He couldn't resist his instinct to arch his back and bare his teeth. A growl began to build up in Fenrir's throat, threatening to leak from his lips. The teenager seemed to grip the axe tighter despite not being able to see Fenrir from the angle of the door.   
  
"You've grown, Lúkas." Loki smirked and apart from looking tense, seemed unfazed at the threat. Fenrir hesitated. He was no longer sure whether to attack or not.  
  
Fenrir watched as Lúkas eyed his father with suspicion. Lúkas' eyes narrowed as he replying slowly with an accent Fenrir couldn't place, "Who the _hell_ are you?"   
  
"You don't remember me?" Loki raised an eyebrow at him as a smile spread across his face.  
  
"No." Lúkas snapped and raised the axe up, "Ríða, how did you find us?"  
  
Fenrir watched from his poised position as Loki's widening grin seemed to unnerve the boy further. The axe was raised in a threat and Fenrir, despite himself, found amusement at the lack of fear that he could smell on the teenager. The teenager seemed tense but apart from that he looked ready to take on Loki if it came to that, which was... impressive to say the least.  
  
An older woman appeared behind Lúkas in the doorway. Her white and grey mixed hair was pulled back away from her face so that her sharp eyes could be seen clearly. The woman gasped out loud as she took in Loki.  Quicker than even Fenrir could follow the woman swatted Lúkas hard around the back of the head. Lúkas grunted from the blow and rubbed at his head with a scowl.  
  
"Hálfviti!"  She scolded, "You complete..." Rather than finishing she let out a grumble that turned into an affectionate huff. She shook her head at Lúkas who now eyeing the floor.  
  
"You took your time coming back," The woman tutted and bustled forward.

Her eyes lit up as she threw her arms around Loki. Fenrir watched in bewilderment as his father relaxed and didn't reject the hug, even if he didn't wrap his arms around the woman in response.  
  
Fenrir managed to catch Loki murmuring into the woman's ear, "Angela... It's been a while..."  
  
The old woman, who Fenrir assumed to be Angela, pulled away and raised an eyebrow.  She slowly pulsed her lips, "It's been more than a _while_ , Loki."  
  
Lúkas eyes seemed to bulge and he spluttered, "Loki as in... You mean this is..." The boy seemed lost for words and seemly stared in wonderment.  
  
Angela placed a hand on her hip, "How many other Loki's do you know?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.  
  
Fenrir let out a snort before he could stop himself. Angela turned to the sudden noise and he cursed as her eyes met his. Fenrir watched as her eyes widened a fraction. Fenrir had to hand it to her, she didn't scream as she took him in. In fact as he waited tensely, she seemed to look more in awe than in fear. He could feel something swell inside as she seemed to beam at him. She really was a strange woman. Fenrir straightened up from his crouch and turned his gaze to Lúkas. The teenager seemed to be staring in shock though to his relief it had less fear and more _'what the hell have I just walked into?'_  
  
"You finally did it," Angela breathed as her eyes glided up and down him, "is that..?"   
  
She looked over to his father for confirmation without daring to finish her sentence as if she feared she had got her hopes up. Why that was the case was beyond him. He must just be reading too much into it.  
  
"Yes," Loki nodded, "Fenrir is finally released from his bounds," His father gestured to him with his hand.  
  
Fenrir pulled himself up moving towards Loki and resisted the urge to bump his head against Loki. He was surprised when Angela tipped her head to him in acknowledgment.  
  
She grinned and usher a gaping Lúkas into the house before dragging Loki in under the pretence that it was much too cold outside to be standing out there. Fenrir followed behind, noting that Loki looked more amused than annoyed at being dragged by his arm into the house.  
  
As he followed them into the kitchen Fenrir caught Angela telling Loki firmly, "You better not have started Ragnarök yet," Gesturing towards Fenrir, "This year's crops aren't ready."  
  
Loki quirked a brow, "Not yet."  
  
Fenrir brushed his nose against the floor catching a whiff of something different. He followed it, only half listening to their conversations. He disappeared around a table and out into the corridor. Eyeing the large staircase leading up he chose instead to move into what seemed like a sitting room. The smell was getting stronger in here but Fenrir couldn't quite pinpoint it. He let out a huff and headed back, catching the sound of Loki explaining to Angela how long they were staying. He carried on taking in the smells as he moved. It smelled of wood, fire and some sort of incense maybe mullein or sage. He could still catch the smell of someone else here.  
  
When Fenrir re-entered the kitchen again he found Angela shooing Lúkas out of the door telling him to get their best goat. Fenrir could feel his mouth watering at the thought. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something like that.  
  
Loki was sat on one of the work surfaces as Angela seemed to be chopping up something into a pan. Fenrir settled in the corner where he could see both entrances and still had good view of his father.  
  
They seemed to be having a relaxed conversation as Angela continued cutting away. At one point Angela threw something at Loki, which he caught with a scowl, before being ordered to cut it up, which he did with surprisingly little complaint. Fenrir watched the way the interacted, there was something familial to it that Fenrir rarely saw between Loki and another.  
  
Fenrir zoned out for a while, enjoying the warmth of the kitchen. It was nice to be somewhere comfortable where there was light to be had and calming voice to heard, instead of being on his own. It wasn't until the conversation took a turn that Fenrir fully listened.  
  
"Where is Maria then?" Loki asked, his gaze fixed on the boiling pan.   
  
Angela didn't look up as she paused with her cutting. She let out a sigh before carefully setting down the knife. 

There was silence for a moment before she uttered an almost inaudible reply, "I'm sorry.."

  
Loki frowned, "Your sorry?"  
  
"I thought you knew..." She let out a sigh and turned to face his father, "but I suppose not."  
  
Fenrir could see Loki was now frowning deeply as Angela seemed to hesitate for a moment.   
  
"A couple of months ago, Maria... She... Had a heart attack."  
  
Fenrir watched as his father's face went blank, void of an emotion. It was like watching shutters falling shut. His green eyes seemed to dim and his mouth became straight.  
  
Angela offered a sad smile, "She passed away... It was all so sudden."  
  
"You have my apologies." He said, bowing his head stiffly. "I will ensure Hela helps with the crossover. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."  
  
"Don't worry about it... We would have told you sooner but we couldn't get in contact you," Angela said, her expression tight as her eyes started to shine, "I mean it was understandable, when we talked to Jormungand he said you were launching some attack in New York.." She trailed off when she caught sight of Loki's expression. He was staring at her with wide eyes, almost like he was stuck between too many emotions. Fenrir could see the cracks in his eyes, yet at the same time a small burning of something else.  
  
Fenrir eyed both of them, his brain was whirling. There it was again with the New York thing. So it was an attack.. yet that still didn't make sense. Loki seemed to avoid talking about it at all whenever he brought it up. Loki was hiding something and he didn't like it. He couldn't understand why Loki would launch an attack on New York and now, this.. Maria was dead and he didn't even know who she was. Then there was his brother's name. His brother couldn't be.. he wasn't-

"Jormungand?" Loki breathed, his knuckles nearly turning white from gripping onto the counter.  
  
Angela nodded, "We prayed to you and tried draw you into Lúkas as the host but you didn't answer, instead of you Jormungand possessed Lúkas."  
  
"That's impossible," Loki said, narrowing his eyes but Fenrir noticed his father swallowed before he continued, "He sleeps under a powerful enchantment."  
  
Angela shook her head, "Not anymore, Jormungand says it has been weakening for some time." She rested back on the opposite counter, "He's able to wake every more often and possess a vessel."  
  
Fenrir didn't know what to make of it. Did this mean his brother would soon be released? Perhaps Fenrir would be he able to meet him.  He wasn't sure whether he would like him or if Jormungand would want to know him.   
  
"He was able to take hold of Lúkas?"  
  
Angela nodded, "Lúkas has always had a knack for it."  
  
Loki didn't say anything for a long moment. For a moment Fenrir didn't think he was going to respond but eventually he asked in a soft voice, "How is he?" 

Loki wasn't looking at anyone but was staring into space with an odd expression.  
  
Angela kept her gaze on Loki, "He is as well as can be expected. He seems to enjoy wandering different places through eyes of others."  
  
Loki nodded a little, "He would..." He stared down at his hands without finishing his sentence. Perhaps that was the end of his sentence as he showed no indication of raising his head.

Loki opened his mouth as if to say something else but the door crashed open, causing everyone to startle. Fenrir managed not to knock over anything as he jolted. Fenrir's gaze fell to the door in time to see Lúkas returning with a young woman and a little girl.  Fenrir had to resist the urge to let out a warning growl and bristle up.  
  
The woman's eyes seemed to expand as she stared at his father sat on the counter. She started to stutter as her mouth opened and shut. Fenrir could tell Loki was slightly amused even though his face showed no indication. She seemed to blush before bowing her head in respect and introducing herself as Camila. After that she seemed to talk a mile an hour, even as Lúkas dragged a goat past her.   
  
Fenrir felt an odd pressure all of a sudden. He twisted his head and saw the young child was clinging onto his side with a wide chubby grin. The child's eyes sparkled with joy as he stared at her. He nudged the child with his nose and let out a snort when the girl wrapped its hands around his neck instead. He could feel the child petting his fur with surprising gentleness.  
  
"Anita!" Came a scolding voice that was cut off when he started licking at the child's face, causing the child giggle uncontrollably.  
  
Fenrir heard the brief muttering of Lúkas as the humans seemed to return to food preparations. Before he knew it, everyone was gathered around the table eating. Fenrir himself had been presented with his own part of the goat.  He sat stretched by the fire, tearing into its flesh, enjoying its still warm blood running down his muzzle.

Fenrir could hear the hear conversation back and forth but paid it little attention. He did note Loki looked the most relaxed to had ever seen him, even if his father did seem a little withdrawn. Fenrir noticed Lúkas barely seemed to speak and when he did it was snarly quips. Camila seemed to fire questions at Loki who answered them but occasionally Fenrir noticed he twisted the truth.  

At one point of the meal Anita clambered up onto Loki's lap and to Fenrir's surprise it didn't seem to bother Loki in the slightest. What surprised him more was to see a fork slowly floating off the table surrounded in a blue light. Angela waved her hand and the fork flashed red and dropped back down. Anita hid her face against Loki's chest to avoid Angela's gaze, much to his father's amusement. Perhaps Fenrir had been wrong to assume they were midgardians and perhaps they were in fact elves.  
  
After everything was finished, even sadly his goat which filled him up nicely to the point he could doze off satisfied. The plates were cleared away and Lúkas with Camila and Anita called it a night and headed up stairs. Fenrir listened as their footsteps echoed up the wooden steps only to slowly fade away as doors shut.   
  
Loki and Angela retired into the living room, lightening the lamps as darkness had begun to fall. Loki sprawled out on one of the sofas opposites to Angela. His head was rested back but his eyes were on the woman. His father gave the impression of being a cat stretched out in front of a fire. Fenrir settled down in the corner on a rug and let out a long yawn.   
  
He watched Angela for a couple of moments, trying to work out who this mortal was who made Loki so at ease. Fenrir would have thought if he had waited the answer would come to him but it didn't.   
  
Not being able to handle the curiosity any longer he pushed a question into Loki's head, _"Who is this woman?"_  
  
Loki turned his head slowly to meet his gaze, amusement dancing in his eyes for a moment.  
  
"Angela is my great-granddaughter, Fenrir."   
  
Fenrir could feel his jaw slacking. Of all the possibilities it was the one thing that made the least sense but at the same time complete sense. So she wasn't an elf or a midgardian... well maybe a little... but they were more so Lokison's or more accurately Lokidottir's than anything else.

 _"Your great..?"_ He gaped as he found he was unable to stop the words leaking out. _  
_  
Loki nodded, "I was very... familiar with Angela's great grandmother."  
  
Angela snorted, "That's one way to put it."   
  
Her gaze met his for a moment and Fenrir noticed there was no surprise at Loki speaking to him. There was no indication that she thought him to be nothing more than a wolf or to be lacking in intelligence.  
  
_"So, are the others related to you as well?"_    
  
Loki leant back, intertwining his fingers behind his head, "Yes, except Camila who is Lùkas' fiancé from my understanding."  
  
Fenrir let his head rest snugly on his paws to stop his mouth from hanging open.   
  
"If you were around more you would have more of understanding." Angela scolded and looked like she would have swatted his father around the head if Loki wasn't so far away.  
  
Loki shrugged, "I've been busy."  
  
Fenrir wasn't sure how to react to this secret family. Well, he assumed they were secret, what with the wards around the house. It wasn't like Odin would allow bastards of a Prince, especially a Lokison, to be left untouched. Any child of his father would have to be hidden, if only to protect them.

Otherwise they could be chained up in the dark, alone, in the _silence_. They would be left with only their pants and whimpers. They would wonder when his father would come. But he won't, couldn't or wouldn't. No one would. They would be stuck in silence and chained to the spot with enchanted rope to hold them in place. There would only be pitch-black darkness and his mind. His mind would whisper in the dark to fill in the nothingness. He would see images and visions. Yet he would always be alone with no one to blame but himself. No one was coming, not even his father because he was a _monster_. A wolf unfit for the company of Aesir, of the Gods. The darkness would swallow him up until- No. He wouldn't think of this. He couldn't. He wasn't there anymore. He took a long gulp of air, clamping his eyes shut for a moment. Fenrir turned his attention to his father's conversation.  
  
"I have a favour to ask," He heard Loki say as he unweaved his fingers from where they had been resting behind his head.  
  
"Well, that's never good." Angela replied with sarcasm thick enough to cut with a knife.  
  
Loki frowned at her and Fenrir had to try not to laugh at his expression. Fenrir couldn't remember the last time his father had let comment slide without some sort of resort, yet now he seemed to just let it go, for now at least.

"I need your assistance on something." Loki continued.  
  
Her brows shot up almost past her hairline, "You need _my_ help?"  
  
Loki let out a huff, shifting in his seat, "Well if you don't want-"  
  
"Hey, hey," Angela interrupted, "Of course I want to help." She said sternly.  
  
Loki pushed some of his hair out of his eyes and looked over at Angela, "You've always been good at unweaving spells and curses. I was hoping you could unravel the enchantment that bindings Fenrir even without Gleipnir."  
  
"Binds him?"  
  
_"I am not normally forced to one form,"_ Fenrir pushed into their minds, _"But the bindings stop me from accessing the full well of my seidr."_  
  
Angela stood up, "I can have a look, if you do not mind?"   
  
Fenrir nodded his head and watched as the woman moved forward. He wondered if she thought it was odd Loki wasn't doing this himself. He hadn't expected for Loki to find someone so soon to have a look at his bindings. It seemed like there was more than one reason as to why they had stopped at this particular place rather than just camping in the woods.  
  
Fenrir remained still as Angela stood to the side of him with her hands hovering inches away from him. Her slender fingers began to glow red as wisps of her magic brushed against him. He could feel something probing and searching force itself into him. She twisted her hands and the golden woven binding spell was suddenly glistening in the air around him. Fenrir felt it tighten around him uncomfortably as her red magic mixed with the gold, like blood in water. 

It was only now when Fenrir saw her hard concentrating expression that he could see his father staring back at him through her eyes. The way she twisted and weaved her hands was relaxing to him as it had all the familiarity of his earlier years where he would sit watching his father practising his spells. It was only the red of the magic and the way it didn't glow nearly as bright or strongly that reminded him that this was not his father but there was something eerily similar. There something in her eye that screamed Loki but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.  
  
"The bindings are too strong for me to break," Angela sighed as she drew back and let the enchantment fall back, "Well, not without it killing me."

Fenrir felt something inside him fall as he felt the binding spell tighten around him once more. It wasn't until then that he realised he had built up a little hope that bindings could be broken and he could be free. Without full access to his powers everything felt dull and bland and he wanted to be free of it. Fenrir couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like for his father without any sort of magic at all.  
  
"It can be broken though," Loki replied in a tone that made it sound more like a statement than a question.  
  
Angela nodded, sitting with a weary sigh, "The enchantment is already fraying at the edges so I don't see why someone more powerful couldn't break it."  
  
Loki seemed to stare into the distance, lost in thought for a moment.  
  
Angela smiled softly, "You know if you asked Jormungand..."  
  
Loki frowned, "Perhaps."  
  
Angela seemed to let his father shift the conversation to something lighter without pointing out the blatant change. They talked for a while longer, each leant back in their seats seemingly at ease.  

Angela apologised that she had to be up early the next day and so they all departed to separate bedrooms. Fenrir found himself being lead alone by his father into one of these rooms. It was one of the bigger ones from what he could tell. As Fenrir leapt onto the large bed and settled at the bottom he noticed something off. His father hadn't spoken in a long time. His face was a blank mask, hiding something underneath and his hands were tightly clasped.

_"Is something wrong?"_

Loki's gaze fell on him for a moment before he shook his head, "I'm just tired."

Fenrir wanted to retort that he always looked tired but he didn't think it would go well. Instead he watched as Loki ran his fingers along the far wall. It was an odd behaviour but he could see his fingers were searching as they slid across the wood. There was clicking sound and part of the wall popped out. Fenrir peered over the edge of the bed and saw that it was some kind of hidden compartment. Resting his head on the edge, Fenrir watched as Loki started pulling out an assortments of knives and longer blades, one of them looking to be a machete. His father started picking out the blades and hiding them all over his body, in ways Fenrir wouldn't have thought possible if he hadn't seen his father do it many times before.

Only when Loki seemed satisfied that he had all the weapons did he climb onto the bed. Fenrir shifted to give his father more room and watched him settle. Green eyes meet his in the now dark room and Fenrir felt like he should say something. Yet there didn't seem anything correct to fill the silence. To comment on his hidden family just didn't feel right or to ask about what had happened with the mortals on the flying ship or what had happened in New York. He had so many questions but he felt any one of them would send his father over the edge. He couldn't bring himself to be the one to do it, not with the day that was to follow.

Fenrir rested his head close to his father and contented himself at the sound of Loki's breath and the hand resting in his fur. Those green eyes watching him made the dark less daunting. Despite everything, for the first time in a long time Fenrir felt safe even if it was just for a moment.

 

\---

 

It was still dark when Loki startled awake. Loki couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about. For once he didn't think it had been a nightmare but instead a haze he couldn't remember. He was relieved that for once he hadn't woken up screaming, sweat soaking the sheets, and filled with the feeling of terror and exhaustion. He couldn't even begin to remember when the last time he hadn't had a nightmare was.  
  
Loki slid out of the bed, not bothering to try and sleep anymore lest it bring a nightmare. As Loki moved across the bedroom he was carefully not to wake Fenrir, who lay curled around the empty spot he had been.   
  
Checking there still hung a blade at his hip, Loki snuck out of the room. The hallway of the house had the feeling of sleep and tiredness. As Loki walked down the stairs he could hear soft breathing over the echoes of his boots against wood. He moved through the rooms, watching the dim shadows of the furniture as they spread across the floor and walls, clinging to the edges and falling away from the muted light of the windows. Loki watched shadows creeping across the ground of the house, this home he had made before everything.   
  
He quietly shut the backdoor and wrapped his coat around himself to fight against the cold night air. Loki stepped away from the house suddenly feeling even more separated from it now that there was the barrier of the door. 

It felt odd to be back here. After everything for _this_ to still be here, it was a shock. He wasn't sure what to make of it anymore.   
  
Loki walked across the path that ran alongside the expansive field. He glanced up at the night sky that was slowly fading back to day and noted with a twinge that the stars were no longer so bright. They now seemed pale and barely noticeable to the naked eye.

He slid his hands into his pockets and looked down at the ground. A feeling washed over him again. It felt like he was painfully separate from all this. It was like a whole world that existed without him. It didn't need him. But if he didn't belong _here_ , where did he belong? This whole place moved on without him through the years and yet he always came back. He was always welcomed but it felt like time was making him slowly drift away or maybe it was the other way around. He could never really stay here; it was too dangerous for them. Their very existence was dangerous enough without his selfish desires endangering them further.  
  
Loki watched the wind run its fingers through the field making the crop sway back and forth. The act of walking in this quiet and dark, with only the wind, was almost relieving.  New York was too loud. It was literally the city that never slept. Everywhere was filled with people, noise and never ending movement. Even this week has been filled with endless sound, moving from place to place as to never stay in one place for long. So now it was nice to be in a place where everything seemed to stand still. It was refreshing to be somewhere so quiet, even if it couldn't last because he couldn't let it.  
  
Loki stepped into the stables at the edge of the field.  The old wood of the building had long since lost its dark brown paint and now flaked onto the ground. It was small inside as it only held a few stalls that stood side by side. The strong smell of hay was would have been nauseating if it wasn't such a familiar and sweet scent. Loki swallowed, trying not to think about how much it reminded him of the hours he had spent in Asgard's stables.  He could hear the movement of hooves against the ground and the snort of a horse. He hesitated for a moment before slipped into one of the stalls where a huge horse lay in the hay. It was bigger than the majority of Midgardian horses Loki had ever seen. It watched him with huge intelligent eyes and didn't startle at his presence, almost like it had expected him. 

Loki sank down in the hay, ignoring the itchy feeling it caused. Leaning back, he rested his back against the large horse. He could feel the animal's warmth against his back and its constant heart beat thudding. The horse snorted and brushed its nose against his hair with more gentleness than would have been thought possible from such a large creature.  
  
He let out a sigh, watching the horse. He felt something build up inside him until it was trapped in his throat. He tried to swallow but the tightness persisted. It felt like he was being torn apart as he couldn't tear his gaze from the horse. He knew it was a four legged horse. He _knew_ that. Yet as he started blinking rapidly and trying to keep his composure all he could see was an eight-legged horse. He knew it was in his head but it didn't stop him from nearly choking and startling back from the horse, nearly falling in the hay. Eight legs, it was all he could see. He blinked over and over until he could see four legs again but the torn feeling hadn't left.  With a lump in his throat he settled down again, trying to ignore the feeling that felt like it was either going to flood out or drown him.  
  
If he could just ignore this feeling it would stop. If he stopped to think about it-- he would-- he could...  
  
Loki pressed his head down into his knees, trying not to think but all he could see was the door knocking down and Fenrir bursting in all those days ago. He had barely reacted. He hadn't reacted in the way he had thought he would, he just couldn't bring himself to _hope_. Instead he had simply run off after the Chitauri. He'd been relieved to finally have Fenrir back, he knew that but it felt like he was waiting, waiting for everything to fall apart, for him to wake up.  It was like the Yggdrasil was playing a big trick on him. He had almost accepted that he would never see them again- any of them- Hela, Jormungand, Fenrir- he saw Sleipnir all the time but he could never- he could never to talk to him, not officially.

Yet now Fenrir was free, Jormungand was waking up and here he was powerless and mortal. He wanted to protect them in the way he'd never been able to. He wanted to tell Fenrir he tried to protect him from all of this but what's good trying if he had failed? Loki remembered he had screamed and screamed, thrashing against guards as they dragging him away from where Fenrir had been taken. The walls crumbled around him as he had screamed and lost control of his magic. The untamed magic had ripped through the air in powerful waves. The only reason the whole palace hadn't collapsed was due to Odin's own magic. He remembered all he had been able to think was - he had failed. He had had all this power within him and yet he still couldn't protect his last child. To make it worse Odin had expected him to pretend he was grieving over a pet, _a pet_. He was expected to pretend everything was okay, _to save face_. That he hadn't just had everything ripped from him. That he hadn't just lost his children.  

Every _single_ one of them.  
  
He did it as well. He let a mask fall over him but this time the mask was more permanent, more suffocating. He had joined back with court and pretended he hadn't been betrayed by his father. He acted like everything was fine, like he hadn't been torn into tiny pieces that could never be put back together or that he was never allowed to speak about why, not that anyone even knew.  
  
He couldn't even speak of his betrayal from Amora.  He had to watch her interest turn to Thor, the better brother, the _golden_ brother. Amora was the real traitor. She was the one who had freely handed over her own children to that monster who masqueraded as his father. She was no mother... Maybe that's why he was called the Mother of Monsters instead of her. Yet his children weren't monsters, Jormungand was just a kid who had affinity for shape shifting, his daughter was a little girl who couldn't bear to let her pets die and then Fenrir who was just hidden as a wolf in plain sight but had loved and adored people. They weren't monsters. He was the real monster. He had contaminated them with his filth blood, letting them have _him_ for a parent. He had cursed them with his very name. If they had been born to anyone else they would have been safe. They wouldn't have been torn away. He should have fought harder. He should have taken them all and ran. He would live forever on the run if it meant he could keep them all.  
  
He realised with shock his face was damp. He could feel the horse's head resting against his shoulder as sobs racked through his body. Tears were spilling down and he found the more he tried to stop it the worse it became. It felt like everything was pouring out and there was nothing to cut it off. His throat was aching but he couldn't stop. He never lost control like this, it was shameful. He gritted his teeth but he was still filled to breaking point. The smell of hay brought it all back. His first child to be taken. He hadn't let himself stop to think about how he felt now... The loss. The relief.   
  
Loki felt liked he was just waiting for Fenrir to be taken away again. It had nearly happened... He was continuously failing him. If he just had his magic back he could... He just wanted to protect Fenrir. All this time they'd been reunited, it hadn't felt real. He just couldn't believe after all these centuries he would be allowed even one of children but he was, for now.  
  
He could feel his finger nails digging into his palm. The shaking stopped as he gritted his teeth tighter and a new feeling washed over him. He would do this. He would do whatever it took to keep Fenrir. He would make them pay for the suffering they'd caused his children. He could almost feel another sob rising up but instead he pressed his lips together as the image of Fenrir's scar flashed in his head. There was a long silver line along his muzzle where a sword had been thrust through to silence his howls that must have turned to blood-filled gurgled whimpers.  He shook himself. No, he would make them all see how it felt to be wounded, chained alone for a millennium. They were his children and they were not monsters. That was Odin's doing.  
  
\---  
  
Loki watched the sun rise up through the opening in the door as he lay resting against the dozing horse. He slowly ran his hands through its mane as he silently let its presence wash away everything else.  
  
"Andskotans brundþró!"  
  
Loki quirked his eyebrow at the cursing Angela, who was suddenly in the doorway. The prickly ends of the hay tickled his palms as he shifted in the hay to allow the horse behind him to press its head against his chest, nearly now resting in his lap. He slowly ran his fingers through its mane, enjoying its silky touch.   
  
Angela let out a long huff and placed a hand on her hip, looking a little flustered after being startled.   
  
"Seriously..." She muttered looking past him and instead at the horse. "That horse hates everyone."  
  
Loki glanced down at the horse who was nuzzling against him.  
  
"It bites and kicks _everyone_ ," Angela grumbled, "And you've reduced him to a cat," She threw her hands up.   
  
Loki smirked and shrugged, not giving a verbal response. He watched her twist a piece of hair between her fingers until it was like rope before letting it go to unfurl.   
  
Angela sighed, "I suppose it makes sense."  
  
"Why is that?" Loki hummed, resting his hands on the horses head.  
  
"He was bred from one of yours some years back, though he's all grown up now," Angela said dryly before resting a hand on her hip, "You should take him with you when you go."  
  
"I couldn't-"  
  
"It will cut your trip in half," Angela cut in sharply, "Maybe even more, he can move fast when he _wants_ to."  
  
"I won't be able to return him." Loki said, trying not to get irritated.  
  
"I have no idea how but that bloody horse is always getting out of here into the woods," She grumbled, "I double lock the stable doors , even his own stall but still..." She stared into space and Loki wasn't sure she was going to continue but Angela suddenly gave him a wiry smile, "I'm sure if you let him loose he would find its way back or I can send Lúkas after him."  
  
She started to walk away not waiting for his reply, "I'll go get the saddle, I'm sure your eager to be on your way."  
  
Before Loki knew it he was helping her get the horse ready despite a few attempts at arguing with her which only ended in glares. They fell into a relaxed silence as they worked on getting the horse ready, who didn't seem impressed at the saddle being put on it.

 As Loki did up the last buckle he sensed Angela's unease just before she spoke, "I wish you weren't doing this,"  
  
"You don't even know what I'm doing," Loki replied, letting go of the clasp and taking the reins.  
  
"It's nothing good," Angela narrowed her eyes.   
  
"I'm doing what I have to."   
  
Angela snorted and shook her head, "You're not. I don't have to know what you're doing to know it's bad. You can tell all your twisted truths but I know you've got yourself mixed up in some bad stuff. You want to know why?" She didn't wait for a reply but Loki sensed she wasn't expecting one, "You never came back. Maria died and you weren't here. You've always-"  
  
Loki's eyes widened for a moment, "You know I didn't-"  
  
Angela hushed him, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a sad look, "I'm not blaming you." She moved her hand to his chest, "I get it," She almost whispered, "I can feel it inside of you," Angela stared at where her hand was resting, "Or the lack of. I can feel it torn and twisted inside of you. It's like something is broken."  
  
Loki pulled away and nearly back into the horse, "You don't know what you're talking about." He hissed.  
  
"I do." Angela said, "You think I haven't noticed your lack of magic? It's gone, I can feel it." She seemed to search his face and whatever she saw seemed to urge her on, "You didn't come when we prayed after Maria died because you _couldn't_ and I fear if you go now... You won't come back for a long, long time."  
  
She looked old all of a sudden. It was like all her energy was leaving her.   
  
"Who am I kidding?" She laughed emptily, "You'll go whatever I say, just be careful, okay? I want you to be around long after I die, Lùkas will need you."  
  
"He won't." Loki smiled bitterly.  
  
Angela gave him a frown, "There will always be a place for you here." She insisted.  
  
Loki wanted to argue but he let it drop with a small nod. He would let them work it out for themselves, everyone always did eventually.  
  
She pulled him into a hug, "Okay this is the end of the lecture."  
  
"Good." Loki muttered.  
  
She pulled away and rolled her eyes, "You're supposed to be grown up here."  
  
Loki gave her a smirk before grabbing the reins and leading the horse down the path. Angela followed only a step behind, allowing a comfortable silence to fall over them. Loki listened to the comforting sound of the horse's hooves against the path between the fields until they arrived at the front of the house.   
  
Loki was glad he had firm grip on the horse because when Fenrir appeared out of nowhere the horse nearly bolted. The horse let out anxious huffs and snorts, its legs shuffling uncomfortably. He managed to settle the horse down and shoot Fenrir a small smile which was returned when Fenrir butted his head against his shoulder.   
  
Loki swung himself onto the back of the horse, enjoying the feeling of being back on top of such a creature. The feeling of intelligence and power beneath him was a welcoming sensation.  
  
"Be careful," Angela warned, in such a voice that he craned his neck to look at him.   
  
"Aren't I always?" Loki grinned.  
  
Angela let out a huff, muttering something under her breathe, before levelling her gaze, "That's what worries me."  
  
Loki felt his stomach twist but he gave her a soft smile and set the horse into trot.  He glanced back and returned her goodbye wave before directing the horse back into the wood and onwards towards the Hydra base. Fenrir ran alongside them, darting in and out of trees like he was familiar with them, making Loki wonder what home really was anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, life happened in a not fun way.  
> Thank you for all your lovely comments they really helped me push through with the chapter.  
> Sorry for the lack of action but I promise you some in the next chapter, this chapter was kinda of needed for pushing on the plot.
> 
> Please let me know what you think? It helps with getting out chapters quicker :)


	14. The Enemy of Your Enemy Is Your Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: blood/gore/violence - implied torture

The horse's hooves pounded against the ground as Loki gripped onto it as it flew across the terrain of thick snow.  He galloped onwards barely looking at the blurs of grey and green that was the trees. Above Loki the huge Hydra base rose up, only a short distance away. It was a lot bigger than Loki imagined and looked like a large castle or fortress rather than a base.  
  
Loki didn't slow down as he caught sight of men surrounding some sort of weapon, perhaps a canon. He drew his machete from its sheath but Fenrir leaped from between the trees and onto the men. Loki smirked as screams and the crunch of bones reached his ears. As Fenrir tore them to pieces he could almost taste the metallic scent of blood that filled the air. A couple of the men took shots at Fenrir but it had the same effect as buzzing flies. They too were ripped apart.

The last one who ran made the mistake of thinking of Loki as less of a threat, ran in his direction. Gripping the reins with one hand Loki leant over the side of the moving horse and swung his blade. The horse only seemed to push itself faster as his glinting blade met flesh and took the man's head clean off.  The snow beneath the horse's feet turned crimson with his blood. The contrast between red and white was striking and made it seem like there was more blood than there actually was.  
  
Fenrir zigzagged around him with his tongue hanging from his wolfish grin. Loki smirked and tightened his grip as his horse bolted through the trees. He watched as Fenrir ran alongside him, easily keeping up with his horse as it dashed through the trees. Loki could feel his body singing from the spilt blood and couldn't help grinning at the adrenaline rushing through him. He felt so alive with a blade in his hand, a horse beneath him and his son running at his side, an equal who had his back. 

Loki smirked when he heard the rumbling sound of a quad bike drawing up beside them. A knife slipped into his grip and he threw it at the man behind the driver.  Despite Loki's horse being in full gallop, the blade shot through the air with perfect accuracy and caught the man in the head, causing him to topple off the back of the bike.

The driver weaved around a tree and took a shot at him with his gun. The bullet shot past him, just grazing his shoulder. Loki barely had chance to wince at the loud sound that caused his ears to ring before his horse reared up. The horse let out a loud scream and kicked its front legs into the air. Loki clung tight to stop himself slipping from the back of the panicked horse. His knuckles were nearly white as he tried to gain control. Loki could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he nearly lost grip. With a couple of firm tugs Loki managed to pull the horse down but it still snorted and twisted under his command.

 By the time the horse had stopped fussing Loki could already see Fenrir batting the driver from the bike with his huge paws. Fenrir sunk his teeth into the man and screams echoed through the trees before falling silent abruptly. His horse let out a whine and shook its head violently as the driverless bike struck a tree and wrapped around it in one deafening crunch.  

Men poured over one of the hills to the right of him. Their boots made loud crunches as they flattened the snow beneath their feet. Loki narrowed his eyes as he spotted unusual weapons in their hands. They were large and bulky; unlike the guns the other men had and instead looked like a different type of technology all together. Loki narrowed his eyes when he noticed the weapons were glowing suspiciously blue.

Loki dug his heels into the horse and tugged the reins, causing his horse to snort and bolt forwarded. Fenrir let out a snarl and threw himself into a sprint beside him. Fenrir's long legs were stretched out as he flew across the ground. To Loki it seemed as if none of Fenrir's feet ever fully touched the ground at any one time as he ran. 

Loki gripped the reins tight and swung his blade at the closest man. The man went down hard, starting to he bleed out in the snow before the man was trampled underfoot.   

His horse sped into the fray allowing Loki to impale the next man with his blade. It felt like his weapon was singing in his hand as he delivered effortless but fatal blows to the men. It was a deadly dance of blades; most of the men didn't stand a chance of evading his machete or knives as he cut them down.

Loki had to duck down to avoid an energy blast from the weapons. The bright blue blast shot past him and struck a tree which instantly started singeing. He was almost blinded by how bright it was but recovered just as his horse screeched and kicked out. An unlucky man was struck by the horse's hooves and sent flying back with a sickening crunch.

Loki tugged the reins causing his horse to turn and flung a knife. The knife sliced through the air and cut straight through the man's eye. He watched as the man fell back into the snow.

Loki swung his machete and took another man's head clean off before pulling his horse out of the way as Fenrir leapt past in pursuit of the fleeing men. Loki gave chase behind and managed to hit one of the men in the back with a blade before Fenrir caught them. After that the men didn't do a lot of running which was mostly due to their legs not technically being attached anymore.

They travelled further through the woods and up the incline to the base. Loki kept a vigilant eye for any other men but for the most part they met little resistance. It was when they were nearly out of the woods that they were blocked by more men. Together they took them down with relative ease. Loki sliced the men down, allowing his horse to strike the occasional man, whilst Fenrir picked off the men at the edge.

One particular blast nearly hit his horse in the head. The horse screeched and threw itself around. Its legs kicked into the air and when it bucked it nearly threw him flying. It was only his years of training that allowed him to stay on the horse long enough to settle the horse instead of falling from its back.

He let the horse speed ahead for a short distance before pulling the creature to a stop. His horse snorted and shifted under the reins. He could feel its tense muscles under him, ready to bolt again at a moment's notice. Loki let out a sigh, glancing up at the complex above him that wasn't far now, speckled with black dots that could only be men. He jumped down from the horse, landing with a crunch in the snow. He hesitated for a moment resting his hand on the horse's side and looking up into its eyes. The horse shifted, giving him a wary look as it flicked its tail. Loki pursed his lips and removed his hand, sensing Fenrir walking up behind him. Loki carefully loosened the saddle before slapping the side of the horse. He could have sworn the horse gave him a dirty look before it bolted the way they had come.  
  
_"You just lost a perfectly good horse."_ Fenrir rumbled in his head.   
  
Loki strode forward with Fenrir following at his side, "There's no point falling off and breaking my legs next time someone shoots at me." He replied dryly before gesturing forwards at the large incline, where the base was, "It's not even as if a horse could scale this or would want to."  
  
Fenrir snorted and ran ahead. Loki watched as Fenrir dashed through the last of the trees and then ducked behind a wall so they could keep climbing upwards to the base without being immediately spotted. Fenrir stayed closer as they moved up, almost brushing against him at times. Loki could tell that despite how quickly he was moving, Fenrir was still restricting how fast he was running.  He could sense a bit of restless energy in Fenrir almost like his son wanted to knock him down to initiate a game they used to play. He felt a sad smile flicker across his face for the briefest moment as he remembered moments where his worry was blinded by the sheer excitement pouring from his son in their games. The next time Fenrir brushed against him, Loki ran his fingers gently through the fur around his head. Butting his head against his palm Fenrir took off ahead again and if there was more of a bounce to Fenrir's step neither of them mentioned it.  
  
They had made it to the first gate into the base when there was a load roaring. It sounded like a large creature had escaped, almost like a troll. The ground beneath him shook causing Loki to stop in his tracks. He tilted his head to the side and caught the sound of gunfire from what seemed to be the other side of the woods in which they had come. There was the sound of large explosions and the ground trembled, causing a sinking feeling to enter his stomach.  
  
Above him Loki spotted a red blur shooting across the sky. The sight left a bitter taste in his mouth when he recognised it to be an Iron Man suit instead of a plane. His mind began to race to work out how the Avengers could have possibly figured out he was going to be here when the red suit suddenly struck what seemed to be air. The air shimmered blue and Iron Man bounced off and swerved violently for a couple of seconds, causing a snigger to leak from Loki's throat. 

He twisted his lips as he watched the circling suit. This was a deviation of a plan he hadn't been expecting. How or why the Avengers had found him was something he would have to get to the bottom to at some point to avoid it in the future.  Right now he would need to change plan to a much more direct one. The stealthier one was becoming less useful as time went on. He cursed at the Avengers for turning this into a race to the sceptre rather than a stealthier robbery.  
  
_"Is that..?"_ Fenrir broke into his thoughts as the shimming blue light Iron Man had struck vanished into empty air again.   
  
Loki nodded, pushing on forward towards the entrance. He stopped, reaching out to brush his fingers against the air. Loki kept reaching until he felt the stinging sensation of intense heat. The air seemed to vibrate against his fingers like a heat wave and glowed chilling blue.   
  
"Do you think you could get us in?" Loki asked.   
  
Fenrir lumbered forward and sniffed the air around the edge of the glowing field. He pressed his paws up to the barrier but pulled back with a grunt when he singed part of his fur.  Nosing around the barrier instead, he seemed to eye it critically.  
  
_"I believe so."_ Fenrir murmured _, "I don't have enough to bring down the whole field only a section for a couple of moments."  
  
_ Loki rested his hand on the handle of the machete and ran his eyes along the wolf. Loki wished he could perform the spell himself. He didn't want his son to overexert himself or hurt himself against Frigga's bindings.

"A couple of second is all we need," Loki replied.

Loki ignored the feeling of wanting to turn back and take Fenrir out of danger. Loki was already uneasy at having men shooting at his son but when they got inside it would only get worse. He didn't want to risk getting Fenrir hurt but he knew Fenrir would refuse to turn back if he tried to insist on going back and he couldn't bring himself to anyway. In some ways that made him selfish but if he obtained an infinity stone it would leave him with endless possibilities. If Loki could use it to get his powers back or exchange it with someone who could it would allow him to protect Fenrir properly this time. Loki could ensure no one would ever hurt Fenrir again. With his powers back Loki would be able to get not only his revenge but revenge for his wronged children so even if this put his son in danger now he was doing it in the hopes of Fenrir never be in danger ever again.  
  
Loki tightened his grip around his weapon determinedly and focused on Fenrir again, pushing away all the thoughts that would distract his focus. Fenrir closed his eyes and seemed to go completely still. Loki watched as the ground below Fenrir's feet started to glow. The glow rose up around his son as a mist and flickered different colours in a way that reminded him of the Northern Lights.

Loki could sense the red suit circling above them in low circles. Loki was set on edge at the scent of recent lightning and rain but he managed to stay calm as the blue misty glow from Fenrir's feet spread. It was as if the force field was being frozen as a small section was hit by the mist and thickened and solidified in the air. Striking forward, Fenrir caused it to crack like ice before it fell away in shattered splinters.

Fenrir dashed through the gap and Loki followed closely before the breach sealed behind them. Fenrir stumbled as he came to a stop. Loki opened his mouth to comment on how drained Fenrir looked but thought better of it when Fenrir shot him a look which was a mixture of a scowl and a glare.

As they moved through the base they were met by resistance but not nearly as much as Loki had expected. It seemed the Avengers had their uses at thinning out Hydra's forces.

A couple of guards met them with gunfire but a lot of them had the different weapons from before that had the blue energy blasts. They reminded him of Chitauri technology or the power of the Tesseract.

Loki ducked behind a pillar as stone was blasted into the air by the gun's blast. Hard pieces of smoking rock rained down around him. Loki avoided breathing in the dust but couldn't stop the smell of burning stone filling his nose as the pillar turned black. Loki waited a moment before throwing his knives with deadly accuracy. One struck a man in the throat who fell with a choking gurgle whereas the other knives hit chests or heads.  
  
Loki took off running, collecting a couple of the bloody knives for later use as he past their corpses. Fenrir took down another wave of men that came out of the building to the left. They fell easily under his teeth and claw, since their guns were unable to pierce his hide.   
  
Ducking gunshots, Loki threw open a door leading inside the Hydra complex. Before entering he took one last glance back and managed to catch a glimpse of a red streak shooting across the sky again. It was a clear reminder that he needed to move faster. Loki couldn't let himself come this far only to let the Avengers take the sceptre right from under his nose.  
  
Loki and Fenrir rushed through one empty room to the next door which Fenrir burst open by ramming himself through it, only to find the next room was occupied. Large stations were positioned around the room that looked to hold large computers or monitors of some kind. The men who had been operating the devices were now staring wide eyed at both of them. They look more ill prepared compare to the guards behind them, who held loaded guns. 

Loki glanced back at the door to see men outside sprinting towards them, already blocking the way back. Loki swore under his breath and drew his machete from its sheath as the guards started shooting at them. He ducked behind one of the stations to avoid the first round of bullets before bounding over in a flying roll that ended with him on the balls of his feet. Loki landed by the men who had been working behind the computers. A couple of them were shakily trying to reload as he sliced them to pieces with his machete.   
  
Loki could hear Fenrir snarling and growling as his son fought behind him, guarding his back. As Loki threw himself at another man, plunging his blade deep into his chest, he glanced back at Fenrir. He saw Fenrir fighting to keep men pouring in from the adjoined room. There was dark blood dripping from a wall opposite Fenrir. It was thick and dripped slowly to pool on the floor.  
  
Loki ducked as one of the men he had first disregarded swung at him with a knife. In retaliation Loki swung his blade and took the man's hand clean off. The man screams were silenced as he stabbed him multiple times before throwing him at the wall. Loki twisted around in a flying kick knocking the gun out of another man's hand.  He grabbed the man and flipped him. This sent the man's head crashing into the ground with a loud thud.

Loki heard a click of a trigger and instantly rolled to the side to avoid the bullets tearing the spot where he had just been. He felt a graze of one bullet on his shoulder as it sliced his skin. Snarling, Loki picked up the gun he had previously kicked and stared rapidly shooting at the men on the other side of the room. One man fell instantly and another let out a scream, clutching at his chest as he stumbled and collapsed. 

Loki kept shooting but the gun didn't take long to run out. Letting out a growl, Loki threw it away and instead ducked behind another station. He threw a knife over the side at a guard still shooting at him. Loki didn't see if he hit the man but he heard a thud which he assumed was the man falling like a rock. It soon became a game of ducking and attacking as he couldn't directly take them all on but he could pick them off in quick succession.

Before Loki had really broken into a proper sweat all the men in the room were down except for one whimpering in the corner. Loki twisted his lips in disgust and dragged him up by his collar. The man thrashed in his grip, trying to escape. The man was like a flailing fish as he squirmed uselessly in his hold. Loki scowled and slammed him into a wall, pressing a knife to his throat. The man cried out and twisted but only ended up slicing open his skin on the sharp edge of the blade. The man became still and simply stared at him with wide eyes whilst blood welled in the swallow cut across his neck.   
  
"The sceptre," Loki hissed, leaning in, "Where is it?"  
  
The man quivered at the sound of his voice which only caused Loki to glare at the mortal. Loki was beginning to think he might owe an apology to the other mortals he had met over the previous months. They were not nearly as pathetic as this man, if he could even call him that. The agent seemed to manage to stop trembling enough to shake his head, being careful not to catch the blade again.  
  
Loki growled and digging the knife in causing the man to whine, "Tell me _now_ and I may spare your life."  
  
"Hail Hydra," The agent wheezed as his legs shook violently beneath him. His voice was shaking and Loki thought even an idiot would be able to catch the horror that leaked out.  
  
A darkness dropped over them causing shadows to fall over the man's face as Fenrir stepped loomed over them. His son's face was twisted into a wide feverish grin. Loki could hear dripping of fresh blood as it fell onto the ground from Fenrir's canines.   
  
"I won't ask again," Loki warned, "Unless you would prefer me to feed you to him?" Loki leered, nodding over to Fenrir.  
  
Moving towards the agent Fenrir let out a low growl that rumbled across the room. The man cowered back against the wall as if he could disappear through it if he pressed himself hard enough against it.  
  
"Hail Hhh-hy-dra," The agent whimpered.  
  
Fenrir drew back his mouth revealing his long canines as he became so close he was almost breathing on him. His son snapped his mouth shut in a sharp click before bearing them at the shivering man once more.  
  
Loki let out a sad sigh, "I suppose, I'll just have to let him have a taste of you."   
  
Fenrir let his grin fall off his face. His son snarled causing the man to sob as Fenrir readied himself to pounce. Loki raised an eyebrow at the snivelling man before moved away to give Fenrir more room.  
  
Fenrir was tensing to leap when the man suddenly threw him arms up in front of his face, "Stop! _Stop_! I'll tell you!" The agent howled, "I'll tell you everything!"

  
"I don't know..."  Loki purred, flipping a knife in his hand, "He does have a _huge_ appetite."  
  
The man seemed to be on the verge of tears. The lack of weapon and demeanour suggested he was more likely a researcher than a soldier. At least for Hydra's sake, Loki hoped that was the case.  
  
"The sceptre... it's... down the hall, to the left," The man gasped out as Fenrir inched closer, "Th-there's a ff-false wall just opposite... the entrance." He was shaking really hard, "You'll find the sceptre in there."  
  
Loki let out a soft hum, his blade glinting in his hand, "Thank you."  
  
"I can show you-"  
  
"That won't be necessary." Loki replied coolly and then smirked at Fenrir, "You know what to do."  
  
"Wait! You said-" The agent gasped before he was reduced to screams, the cracking of bone and the separating of flesh under Fenrir's teeth.   
  
Loki waited for Fenrir to finish before moving to the corridor the man had indicated. He glanced at Fenrir, eyeing as the red dripping from his fur.   
  
_"Go on without me,"_ Fenrir said into his mind.  
  
Loki quirked a brow, ignoring the tight feeling in his stomach that he didn't want to show on his face. Surely his son wasn't suggesting splitting up, that never ended well for anyone.  
  
_"More men are coming,"_ Fenrir rumbled, focusing on the door _, "I can hold them off long enough for you to get the sceptre and then we can leave before we are overwhelmed."  
_  
Loki wanted to argue with him. He was not letting his son out of his sight when there were so many dangers. Loki felt a twist inside him as he spotted the first of the men pouring through the door. Practically Fenrir wasn't wrong and the less time they spent here the less chance of harm. Fenrir was already moving forward to fight the swarm of men and Loki had a feeling trying to stop him wouldn't do anything. Fenrir would listen to him when it suited him but when he got an idea into his head... there just wasn't time to argue with him. Loki gritted his teeth. Why were all his children so stubborn?   
  
"Be careful," Loki sighed before taking off despite his urge to stay.   
  
As Loki moved he found the sound of snarling, gunfire and screaming soon faded away. Loki scowled and wasn't sure if it was worse hearing it compared to not but he quickly pushed the thought away and hurried down into the room he had been directed to.   
  
Inside the room there seemed to be a station against the right wall filled with equipment and a dozen computers and on the other side there were piles of boxes and some sort of technology. Loki moved to the far wall and ran his fingers against it. Loki let out a content hum when he found the wall had a definite false feeling to it. He held his breath and pressed against it. The wall stayed still and firm just as any wall should. He cursed and shoved at it but it still didn't move. 

It dawned on Loki that he might have been too quick to kill the agent. He should have kept the man until the location of the sceptre had been confirmed. Loki swore to himself. He didn't have time to go back and find someone else to lead him to the sceptre. The Avengers couldn't be far away and neither could Hydra's men and the chance of him being able to fight _both_ off wasn't good. Loki let out a huff and shoved at the wall in frustration. The wall groaned and Loki yelped when he fell through the open doorway as it slid away.  Loki managed to catch himself in a small stumble but he couldn't stop a grin spread across his face for the briefest moment. Relief washed over Loki as he saw the secret doorway lead downwards. The agent had told the truth.  
  
Pulling out his blade, Loki looked down the grey staircase. He saw it led downwards, with a low hanging ceiling that barely left room to move down, making it seem more like a tunnel. Loki was encompassed by darkness as he walked down the steps as quietly as he could.

It was dark at first when Loki stepped into the room but as he moved past the large crates and scrap metal the room seemed to lighten. Loki could now see he was in a wide cavernous room filled with a dim light that gave it an odd greyish look.

Loki scanned the room trying to spot the sceptre when he happened to glance up.  Loki froze to the spot. He barely managed to suppress a flinch. Hanging above him was a Leviathan, a Chitauri monster. Its jaw was open revealing its sharp metal canines as its huge body coiled. Its icy blue eyes glowed and its metallic scales shimmered whilst the Leviathan moved towards- _No_. Loki sucked in a breath. The Leviathan wasn't moving. It wasn't alive, that would be ridiculous. Loki could already spot the familiar damage it had sustained in battle. This one had been killed in the battle of New York and was now strung up to the ceiling like a hunting trophy.

  
Loki shifted his gaze away from the Chitauri monster and stalked across the room. He shifted past different stations, spotting a lot of technology that was probably very hard to come by.

Loki was coming around a sizable container when he paused in his tracks. He could finally see it. A smile fell across Loki's face at the final confirmation that the Hydra agent hadn't been lying to him because it was _there_ right in front of him, just meters from his hands. Loki moved closer and saw the sceptre was set into some sort of stand or pedestal. A blue glow illuminated the area around it in an icy haze.

Warmth spread across him and Loki felt all the stress leave him. His muscles felt loose and comfortable. Loki found he couldn't tear his eyes off the sceptre. It felt like he was drifting across the ground as he drew towards the pedestal until he was in front of it.

Loki's breath was caught in his throat, he could hear it singing. He could smell- No - he could feel the power radiating off it in waves. Loki swayed at the sensation of the power brushing against his skin and seeping into him. If he held that in his hand he could _do_ anything. He could _be_ anything. He reached out for it. Loki could barely wait to hold it after waiting so long. It was almost enough to just see its sleek metal, its wicked blade and the glowing stone held inside. Not any stone but an infinity gem. The sceptre was a weapon worthy of a god.   
**  
**_You're not a god though, are you?_  
  
Loki flinched back, quickly retracting his hand. Loki cursed himself. He hadn't realised he was panting and that sweat was dripping down him. Even his vision had become oddly hazy at the edges. How had he not felt the sceptre's pull? It was just like-  
  
Loki gritted his teeth, focusing himself. He would not let the sceptre influence him. He needed this sceptre and what it brought.  Loki would use it for his own gain not the other way around.  
  
Wrapped his hands around its hilt, Loki pulled until it slid out of its base with more ease than Loki would have thought. The holographic-like blue haze that had swirled around the pedestal fizzled out upon the sceptre's release. The metal of the sceptre in his hands was cool against his skin. The weight of it in felt right, like it had always belonged there.   
  
Loki gazed at the bright blue gem. His heart jumped as he realised it was _glowing_ not just catching the light. It started to rapidly shine brighter and Loki found he couldn't look away as it seared through his eyes to the point of burning.  He tried to pull away but he felt a violent tug forward. His heart stopped as everything around him was pulled away. The room around him was unravelling and fading away. It was like he was floating and falling all at the same time. 

Loki knew this feeling. He wanted to close his eyes. Loki could already feel the dread gripping him.

Loki couldn't even blink as his surrounding changed from that of the large cavernous room to rock. Loki tried to let go of the sceptre but he couldn't even move. It was as if he no longer had any control on his muscles. He could only stare at the grey rock spread out in front of him. He could see the endless darkness beyond, lit by stars that had surely already burnt out. It was like the void, only worse.   
  
He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He tried to breathe calmly but he barely managed to take any air in at all.

_You're not really here._  Loki tried to tell himself.   
  
He heard the scraping of something against the rock behind him. It sounded like something was stood behind him. Yet Loki couldn't get himself to turn around, his body was unbearably tense. It didn't matter anyway as Loki already knew who it was even before its grating voice filled the air.   
  
"You lied to us," It hissed.  
  
He pressed his lips together as he tried to resist swallowing. Instead Loki stared down at his arms. If he looked close enough he could see through them as if they were a hologram or thin material rather than skin. It was solid proof that he wasn't really here. This wasn't _real_. Yet it was, Loki's body might not be here but his mind was and that would be enough.   
  
He felt hands close around the back of his head. He could feel the extra fingers wrapping tightly around his skull. Sudden pain burst through his mind and he let out a grunt and stumbled.  The pain shocked Loki into movement and he twisted around to glare at the being.

The Other was shrouded in darkness but Loki could make out the gold metal guard around his mouth. The cloth may be obscuring The Other's eyes but Loki knew there were glowing yellow eyes hidden beneath. Those eyes were always filled with such malice and delight yet now Loki knew there was no pleasure not until he was mewling and screaming on the ground. Loki gritted his teeth. He would never give this _thing_ that sort of enjoyment ever again.

  
"Did you think we would not discover the truth?" The Other spat, his long cloak twisting around him as he slithered across the hard ground, almost completely blending in with the darkness.

  
"I didn't really care!" Loki lashed out.

  
His heart was beating so hard it hurt. Just seeing The Other made him want to collapse on the ground. He didn't want this. Loki glared at The Other straight where he knew his eyes should be despite his mind screaming at him to look at the ground. It screamed for him to fall to his knees. There would be less pain that way. There would be less h- Loki clenched his jaw, balling his shaking hands. He wouldn't give in to weakness.   
  
"You do not care that you have hidden two infinity stones from _Him_?" The Other's voice was like scraping metal, "He will have them back with or without your help," The Other glided towards him until he was within reach, "Give them to Him and you will be spared."  
  
Loki let out a humourless laugh that sounded manic to his ears, "Do you think me a fool?"  
  
"Yesss..." The Other laughed but it sounded more like the squelching of something unpleasant. The Other moved so close he was almost brushing against him. Loki could feel himself involuntarily tensing up and tried to suppress it.  
  
"I do not lie," The Other whispered, his voice suddenly filled to the brim with honey. The tone caused Loki to shiver, reminding him of the end of long nights that would never really end, "You will be spared if you provide us with what we desire." The Other promised.  
  
"Spared?" Loki frowned. 

The Other was lying. There was no way. There was no such thing as mercy when it came to this creature. Every sweet word The Other whispered was only used to tear a knife in deeper if Loki deduced himself to believing it for even for a moment.  
  
"Yesss... you are still of use to us, Skywalker," The Other seemed to suddenly leer, his mouth between the metal guards turning cruel, "Being spared is not the same as being unharmed. You will be reshaped and your disobedience will be _fixed_."  
  
Loki managed not to flinch. He didn't want to think what The Other had in mind. In fact Loki already had an idea and that was the problem.   
  
"There is nowhere you can hide," The Other hissed and Loki felt The Other was staring directly at him even with cloth obscuring his sight, "He will have you whether you come freely or not but one will be more.. preferable for you if you are able to further His plans, Liesmith."  
  
Loki swallowed. He - The Mad Titan - Thanos - didn't matter, it was The Other that would be the one whose hands he would not want not to fall into, even if by falling into Thanos' he would fall into The Other's by proxy. The Other's was the ones Loki dreaded. It was The Other that would take him apart.  It was The Other would reduce him to pieces of his former self. It was The Other who would break him, bend him and remake him into something unrecognisable.   
  
"Tell Him," Loki replied coolly, despite his hands shaking, as he banished all those _weak_ thoughts to the back of his mind, "He will never have the gems. Tell Him, He will never complete His plan."  
  
The Other let out a snarled and lunged forward. Loki raised the sceptre to block the oncoming attack. His heart was rushing to his throat. Loki already knew what was to come and he would fight it, he would not lower himself ever again.

Just as The Other was about to deliver the first blow red mist burst in front of him, like the air had sudden combusted into flames. Loki made out the shadow of The Other before he disappeared completely into the hungry storm of scorching red, swallowing them both. Loki's breath came in and out fast, causing his chest to hurt whilst the bright red glow blinded him and Loki wasn't sure where The Other was or where the red started and ended. Loki felt red tendrils brushing against him, wrapping around him and engulfing him. 

It felt as if he was being manhandled and forced back as Loki was pulled and violently yanked back into his body. Loki gasped at the sudden sensation of _self_ and the burning feeling of raw torn nerves. His eyes flew open and instead of red there was grey again.

The sceptre fell from his hand and clattered against the ground as it rolled. The sound startled Loki and it was then he realised his face was being cradled between two slender hands. Glowing red eyes stared back at him, brimming with the same scarlet red of the mist. The eyes slowly faded to a normal colour and in contrast seemed to be round and curious, like he was a puzzle to be solved, rather than shining a red that barely veiled the endless power and influence it contained. 

Loki jerked back out of the hands and almost fell over onto his back. The woman in front of Loki quirked her brows at him as her lips seemed to curl in what might have been amusement. 

His eyes darted to the sceptre lying on the ground and then back to the woman who seemed to have come out of nowhere. The woman's lips pressed into a thin line and her hands suddenly ignited red as her fingers and wrists contorted in a dance of an enchantment that Loki knew well. In fact it wasn't her hands that glowed but the area around her hands, giving the impression of floating red orbs laced with whips of scarlet lightning. He knew that glow anywhere. Loki could almost smell that magic leaking from it.  

Loki still couldn't draw breath properly, it was like his lungs didn't move but he ignore it as best he could in favour of the woman in front of him, who had to be some sort of witch or mage.

Grabbed for his knife, Loki moved to dive for the sceptre, but the woman lunged first. She moved like a Valkyrie, her hands glowing intensely as she grasped his head tightly. Her glowing fingers dug hard into his temples as Loki tried to turn his blade on her but he never had time. Loki felt a burning sensation creeping into his skull, a foreign virus grappling with him. Loki found he was entrapped in the crimson gaze of the woman whilst her fingers tightened painfully on his temples. His world exploded in scarlet red. 

Loki cried out, stumbling as he tried to gain his footing but fell back, crashing to the ground. He reached for- No. He drew his blade to-- Where was..? What was he reaching for..? Loki stilled. Loki didn't move from where he lay on the hard floor. His brows furrowed together as he tried to recall what had been so important. A moment ago there had been- No - There hadn't been anything. There was no one here.  
  
Loki pulled himself up onto his feet with a huff, ignoring the throbbing sensation from where he had fallen. He scanned the room, feeling nausea as his vision narrowed for a brief moment. Loki twisted around but it was just the same large grey room. Loki could see the stairs leading up to the upper floor and the boxes still pilled around him with a clutter of half built equipment. The only thing that seemed out of place was an empty pedestal in front of him. It seemed like it should be important to him but Loki couldn't recall why.

A shiver ran up his spine. It felt like there was a pair of eyes on him but as Loki scanned the cavernous room he couldn't spot anyone watching him. It was as if someone was just out of sight.

Creaking of metal caused Loki to look up. Loki's heart stuttered and he froze.  Loki could only stare up at the Leviathan's mouth wrenched open, dripping with drool. The creature let out a deafening screech that sounded like fingernails against a chalkboard as it tore free of its bonds, causing metal restraints to topple all around it. With its jaw gaping impossibly wide the Leviathan lurch towards Loki. Its length twisted through the air in a way that reminded him of a snake rushing through grass to catch a fleeing rat.  
  
Loki scrambled back. This wasn't _possible_. It was dead. He had seen it die in New York and he had seen the injuries it had sustained. It couldn't... possibly... and yet it weaved towards him with its snarling mouth of sword like fangs inches from his face.

Then Loki was running. His legs were moving beneath him without him being fully aware. Loki was driving under fallen metal beams as the Leviathan pursued him with little care for barriers that got in the way since it barrelled straight through them with little care any damage or pain it might cause.

Throwing himself over tables, equipment and shipments Loki managed to evade having his lower half bitten off as the creature clamped down onto the empty air where he had once been. The beast threw itself to the side in a fit of rage as it bellowed its frustration. Its violent twisting and thrashing caused a whole cabinet to come crashing to the ground, spilling its contents everywhere.

Loki flinched from the sound but pushed forwards. Loki jumped over the fallen debris only to land in thick snow. The crunch against his feet startled him but not enough to stop him running. His head span around as he pounded across the snowy ground and he was shocked to see trees all around him. They blocked the light as they reached towards him, scratching his face and arms. He swiped at the Evergreens grabbing and clawing at him.

His breath was coming fast now. The air burned in his throat since it never stayed quite long enough. He didn't understand. Wasn't he just in-  
  
"Loki, give yourself up!"   
  
Loki froze at the roaring voice. He had just been in that room... and now...  

Loki slowly turned to stare up at the warriors charging through the snow towards him. Their swords were drawn as they came within range. Their armour clanged against itself as the sound of heavy boots in snow caused his blood to run cold.  
  
"No.." Loki whispered. In his mind Loki heard another whisper filled with veiling pain _- "You know I can't do that."  
_  
Loki's eyes were blown wide as he stumbled back almost slipping in the snow. He couldn't let them. He wouldn't let them.   
  
Loki shot off through the snow. His heart was in his throat, pounding faster than he thought possible. His breathing was so erratic he could barely breathe.  Loki ran and ran, barely stopping as he jumped over rocks and logs. He bound through the snow, almost rolling down declines, and threw himself over any barrier that came in his way. The trees became a blur as Loki rushed past them. They bushed against him, tearing into his skin as they tried to entrap him, but he weaved through them without slowing.   
  
Loki didn't know how long he ran but it was never long enough, it was never fast enough. He couldn't bring himself to look back because he could always hear them coming. He could always hear the pounding of boots in the snow.

He couldn't outrun them. He would never outrun them.  
  
Pain tore through his body and he let out a scream. His legs started gave in and he fell forward into the freezing snow. Pain rocked through him like all his nerves had been set on fire. He could only wrap his arms protectively around his stomach and let out a sob of agony before blood spilled across the snow.  
  
Then there was gold. Gold shone so bright that it was almost blinding. Huge gold pillars rose above him. Gold walls towered around him, enclosing him in its sickly light. Gold ornaments adorned everything in sight. Gold fixtures glared at him. Gold floor spilled around him, smooth like the gold was melted. Gold shone across the ceiling. Gold, _gold_ , **gold**. Everywhere.   
  
Loki dragged himself off the golden ground. It wasn't cold snow anymore it was hard metal flooring. Twisting around Loki could only stare at the gold whilst his stomach churned. None of this made sense. Surely this was-  
  
There was the echo of footsteps. From the sound of the hard crashing feet against the ground there were a _lot_ of them. They were moving fast and were heavy against the floor. The sound was getting louder. They were moving in this direction.  
  
Loki felt a spike of fear pierce him and he took off running down the golden hall. He rushed past the golden pillars and long corridors. His feet pounded against the ground but were never loud enough to block out the sound of marching feet.  
  
Loki came around another corner and froze. Loki sensed something change a second before a scream split through the air. It tore right through him, tearing apart his tendons and wrapping around his throat, lungs and heart. It was unbearable to listen to as a second scream cracked through the air. It wasn't a scream of fear. It was filled with such _rage_. The scream was laced, poisoned, drowning - with pain. It physically hurt to fear such a sound. Such a sound shouldn't be possible. To be filled with such anguish should have killed them.  

Loki had no chance to prepare as his world exploded in bright green flash, a supernova of green blazing energy. He was blinded as the explosion threw him flying against the wall in a deafening green blast. The ceiling crashed down in chunks of gold metal and stone. The ground beneath him _moved_ and the whole building shook. Loki was surprised his ears weren't bleeding as they rung painfully. He threw him arms up to avoid rock striking him as the whole structure seemed moments from caving completely in.   
  
_"I have to go!"_ A voice shrieked, _"There must be a way to stop-"  
_  
_"It is too late!"_ Came a bellowed that was filled with reined anger. There was no pain in that voice. It was sharp ice parading as comforting warm fire, _"You're going to bring down the whole place with everyone in it, is that what you **want**?!"_  
  
The violent earthquake had stopped and the green light had dissipated but Loki still couldn't find the source of the arguing voices. He could hear the sounds of screams as if through glass or underwater. Yet, they sounded like... _his_ screams. Loki knew for a fact he wasn't making a sound but he could still hear his voice, like an afterimage, an echo. It was his voice outside of his mind, fighting a battle with another that Loki knew was already lost.  
  
_"It was for your own good.."_  
  
_"My own good?"_ Loki heard himself snarl. There was a growing malice to the words as if something was twisting and rotting in the place something used to be. It was like something had been torn out and all that was left was a mangled shell.

_"He was just a **child**.. An innocent..." _ Loki heard himself whisper brokenly.

  
Loki twisted around to look for a source but he was surrounded by no one. He wasn't even speaking but he knew the words all the same.   
  
_"You had no right! You chose the words of th-those.. those **hags** over- ov_ -" Loki could feel himself choking over the words leaving his throat, even if it was nothing had ever left his lips.  
  
There was no one around him, only piles of rubble from where the roof had caved in to reveal the floor above.  Loki moved across the remnants of the hall that had become a warzone of broken stone and warped metal. The windows were shattered outwards and not inwards allowing Loki to see slithers of shinning glass spread out across the abandoned courtyard. Loki could not see his reflection in scattered glass, there was no reflection at all. Blackened marks covered the remaining walls reminding Loki of the remains of a blazing inferno.  
  
Loki could hear crying. It was a broken sobbing of someone falling apart at the seams, no longer caring who heard as _nothing mattered anymore._ Yet Loki couldn't see who was it was. He ignored the tightness in his stomach that told him he already knew who it was.   
  
_"He's safer where he is,"_ Came a soft voice, used to coax a child who didn't know better. It was a voice who didn't believe it could do wrong. It was always in the right, _"I did what I could. The council ordered for his execution. They wanted his blood. You have to trust me, this is for the best. This is what is best for Asgard."  
_  
There was the sound of metal on metal, the clashing of swords and the scuffling of feet before there was a loud crash and a grunt of pain.   
  
_"You need to take responsibility for your actions, **boy**."_ Came a snarl that caused Loki to flinch back, _"Think about what the people would have thought. It was an abomination, a danger to everyone! Be glad I was able to stop the council slaying it where it stood."_  
  
Loki climbed over the rubble and caught the sound of dripping. He pulled himself up over the structure and onto his feet. On the other side Loki saw a huge muscular man with his back to him. The man's armour lay in pieces around him and his large sword lay discarded on the ground. Loki could hear the pained panting of the man but it was the source of the dripping sound that drew his attention. Where the man's sword hand should be... there was nothing. His hand was gone. It was a bloodied stump. It wasn't a clean cut but mangled torn flesh, muscle and bone, where a hand had once been. From the stump blood dripped and splashed against the ground, causing the dripping sound that echoed through Loki's body. 

Loki felt a choked gasp spill from his mouth as he stumbled away. There was the sound of sobbing all around him now as he fled down the broken hallway. The cries echoed across the hall but he couldn't see its source. The crying sounded uncontrollable and so familiar. He stuttered to a stop, touching his cheek only to find it was dry.

He couldn't to find the source of the crying, he couldn't work it out. Then it hit him. He knew that voice because it was him. The crying turned to screams that became strangled as his voice became horse. Loki fell to his knees as it washed over him. The feeling wrapped its warped clawed fingers around his throat and choked him. He felt... like he was being torn apart. He felt so... there was nothing he could do to fix it.  He was alone. He was rotting. _Betrayed. Lost. Alone._ Loki couldn't breathe.  

Loki could feel tears spilling down his face. It was all his fault. It was all _their_ fault. They had reached in and torn him apart. Every smile after this would be twisted, each laugh would be hollow because that was what he was- a shell carved out, left to decay and fester in the heat. Loki wanted them to pay for this, he wanted them to feel _this_ but right now he could only let out choked sobs as the pain dug in.

_"He was innocent.. He would never have hurt **anyone**...Why does he have to be punished for sharing my blood? Why are they always taken?!" _

Loki pressed his hands to ears, trying to block it all out.

Then everything twisted and turned, remaking itself before his eyes. He wasn't knelt on gold but instead stood on a metal platform. The room had become a large and cavernous space with a roof rising high above. 

Loki slowly pulled himself up onto his feet, not even wincing from the strain it caused on the wounds that lace his body. The pain kept him focused. The air was cool and he enjoyed and savoured it meant as a lack of heat meant the air was not dry to breathe in.  
  
"Sir, please, put down the spear," A man with an eye patch ordered.  
  
Loki stared at the man in front of him, trying to recall who he was. He dismissed him for a moment until he noticed the blue mist dissipating around himself and the sceptre in his hand, which focused him once more. The plan was once more reinforced back into his mind. 

Loki forced a grin to twist on his face. 

_Be the monster everyone thinks you are._

Everything was a sickly blue hue. Everything was hazy and felt like sharp ice had settled in his mind. Frostbite burnt through his neurones, not allowing for him to think too hard. It was confusing. It _hurt_.  
  
Shots were firing but he couldn't remember who had started. _Focus, soon it will be over._

He was grabbing a shorter man and pressing the sceptre to his chest. Loki watched the man's eyes become a blue glow. Their minds brushed against each other and became entangled. Loki slowly nudged the man's mind into a safe place, protecting him from the worse of it.  

All Loki could think was how cold it was, how nice this was and how it wasn't dark anymore. Loki could _move,_ his voice worked but he would hurt again if he... Wait...Loki felt like something wasn't right. It was as if this had already happened.  
  
Everything started to spin and he tried to hold it off, knowing there was something he was supposed to know but that too faded. 

Loki found himself stood in a large room, a city spread out behind the glass window. Skyscrapers rose around him. His hands were wrapped around a man's throat. He could glimpse a ghastly blue glow from the man's chest. He tried to keep his hands from trembling.

_Why couldn't anyone tell something was wrong?_

Loki tightened his grip on the man's throat, growling something into his ear that was meaningless promises.

_Did Thor really think..?_  

Loki let out a snarl and threw the man out of the window. The glass shattered, spraying everywhere. He watched the man fall to his death, wishing he found satisfaction from it.   
  
But then it was Loki who was falling, tumbling. He was trapped in the void, falling endlessly. There was no air, no heat, no food, no water and no one. Yet he could not die no matter how long he fell.

Loki continued to fall until he wasn't falling anymore. He was stood on rock. It was black and oozing, cold and empty. Loki tried to run but he couldn't because he wasn't standing. He couldn't even _feel_ his legs. He pulled himself along the ground not caring if his desperate clawing caused nails to rip and tear. He was whimpering from the pain and what he knew would come if he didn't move fast enough but he would never run fast enough.  
  
"It's not so fun to run anymore, is it?" A grating voice sniggered.  
  
Loki felt his body turn to ice. No, he was supposed to have more time. He was supposed to be further away. Loki tried to pull himself across the hard rock quicker. Ignoring the pain it caused, he dragged himself across jagged pieces of rock. He needed to get away.   
  
Loki felt a sharp pain in his spine, like a stab, and then he couldn't move. He gasped for air, trying to will his body to move but to no avail.  
  
"Such spirit," There was a laugh but it was too thick, it was more of a gurgle, "We'll fix that, won't we?"  
  
Everything burst into red.

There were tight hands around his head, confining him, entrapping him, seeping into him. Loki twisted and screamed. He couldn't. They wouldn't.  Not again. Loki needed to get away but the hands were around him. Loki thrashed and snarled causing him to tumble to ground at a painful angle.

  
Loki stared up at the dark ceiling. Where had the stars gone? Where was the dark rock? It was all gone, fading away into the back of his mind. There was the same metal ceiling rising over him and the Leviathan hanging motionless above. It had never broken its bindings, it had never moved. Loki gulped for air for a moment, trying to catch his breath.  
  
Legs were in his line of sight as he shivered on the ground. Loki slowly lifted his gaze to see the thin legs were that of the woman from before, the witch, who was now standing over him. She was giving him the oddest look without a hint of amusement. Her eyes were round and glistening yet the emotion behind it Loki couldn't decipher until her eyes flickered and turned hard and focused, glowing scarlet once more.  

Instantly shooting up, Loki grabbed for his fallen machete. The woman waved her hand and the blade glowed red and slid out of reach. Loki growled and drew his knife but before he could throw it, she raised her glowing hand and he found his arm wouldn't move. Her power wrapped around him, enclosing and encasing him. Loki could feel it crawling under his skin, hot but not burning.  
  
"Stop!" The witch demanded.   
  
In not one of his most coherent moments, he snarled at her and twisted around as he fought the red bonds under his skin. Yet from the outside his body did not move. He gritted his teeth, furious at his unresponsive body.  
  
"I mean you no harm," The witch said slowly with an accent Loki couldn't place. It sounded familiar with a roughness to it that he wasn't used to.

She raised her hands to show him that they were empty but the gesture didn't reassure him at all. Loki knew she had magic so the action meant nothing. He had seen the power in those hands. He knew what could be done. He wanted it. 

Loki continued to struggle against the magic holding him. He needed to be gone already as he didn't know how long Fenrir could hold off the soldiers and possibly the Avengers. It could be moments before men burst down here or they overwhelmed Fenrir. Yet Loki could only focus on the witch in front of him who had meddled in a place she didn't belong. 

"You were in my head!" Loki accused.

The woman nodded, her brown hair flicking back, as she didn't even bother denying it, "But I'm not going to hurt you,"

No one was allowed in his head. No one was allowed to shift through his memories, moulding and manipulating them. Loki glared at the woman, ready to tear her apart, woman or not. Loki felt the parting of air as there was a cold rush against his skin.  
  
"We're not even going to hurt him a little bit?" Someone purred sweetly.   
  
Loki hadn't even blinked and yet where moments before there had been empty space there was now a man stood in front of him. Loki knew there hadn't been anyone there but before his eyes there was.

The man looked about the same age as the witch, except he had a mop of almost white hair and a grin plastered across his face. Loki frown, scanning the new man. Perhaps the man was a mage as well and had used a transportation or teleportation spell but it was none Loki had ever seen.  
  
"Stop joking around," The witch scolded.

Loki noticed she share the same thick accent as the man however there was tightness to her voice. Loki narrowed his eyes and quickly scanning her. He noted she had a tense posture, one of her hands was picking at a seam and her gaze was too intense. Yet she wasn't treating him as a threat and she had made attempts to show him that she wasn't either. _Interesting_. She wasn't in his mind anymore, which Loki didn't know how to interpret or begin to understand why she had done it. Yet the whole experience left him feeling raw and exposed.  
  
The witch slid past the white-haired man and picked up the sceptre from where Loki had dropped it. Loki tried to move to stop her but he was still held in place. Loki felt coldness inside when he thought about his lack of magic. He knew if he had just an ounce of magic, he wouldn't be in this situation- held in place by another's magic.

Loki watched from where he stood like a statue as the witch wrapped a cloth around the sceptre's handle to cover it before tying it off.   
  
She held the sceptre out to him, "You want this, yes?"  
  
Loki narrowed his eyes at the woman trying to find the trick. Yet all he could see was a mortal woman, who was obviously a witch, yet she seemed young. Scanning her eyes he couldn't see any ill-intent no matter how long he looked.  
  
"Yes..." Loki admitted, not voicing his shock that she might actually be giving it to him.  
  
The woman nodded and made a please sounding noise. She moved closer to him, her coat twisting around her with the movement.  
  
"You can keep the sceptre safe?" The woman's brows tightened, "You can keep it out of Stark's hands?" She asked urgently.  
  
Loki quickly hid his surprise and didn't allow his eyes to widened but instead nodded in response. Loki wasn't about to give the sceptre to anyone, let alone Tony Stark. Yet why she was concerned with Stark had his curiosity sparking but he was more interested in getting the sceptre than answers.  
  
"Why are you giving it to him?" The white-haired man beside the witch whined. He was moving back and forth on the spot like a child who couldn't keep still. The man seemed to almost vibrate back and forth.   
  
"He is no friend of Stark," The witch stated, "We share a common enemy."

Loki gritted his teeth, trying not to let his anger from her sieving through his mind bubble up to the surface of his expression. He focused on instead on the way her face grimaced at the mere sound of Stark's name.  
  
The man seemed to vanish in thin air only to appear on the other side of the witch, "But surely..."  
  
"You know full well what I saw." The witch replied firmly, "We must keep this weapon from Stark's hands."  
  
"Yeah, yeah..." The white-haired man muttered, "I know what you saw - a new Age - an Age of... Bad stuff. Blah blah blah..."  
  
The woman rolled her eyes in exasperation but there was a fondness in her eyes. She turned her focused on him again. Loki wondered if she was aware of the wisps of red magic leaking from her fingers tips.   
  
"If you can keep this sceptre in your hands, it is yours," The witch told him. If Loki hadn't have been focusing on her he might have missed her moment of hesitation before she said, "You will need it in the coming days."  
  
The white-haired man muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Dun dun dun."  
  
Loki had to resist the urge to scowl at the man before he nodded. The witch seemed to study him for a moment like she was looking for something. When she averted her eyes she appeared satisfied with what she had found there.   
  
Waving her hands, wisps of burning scarlet shot out towards him. Red magic twisted in the air and enveloped him in a swirl of crimson. Loki felt her grip leave him and it was like a heavy weight had been lifted from him. Its burning grip beneath his skin was gone and Loki could breathe again. He slowly moved his fingers and was relieved to find they curled under his command. 

The witch held the sceptre out to him with the handle in his direction. Loki's eyes flickered from the sceptre to her a couple of times before he slowly reached out and took it. Loki had to stop himself from snatching it or flicking his hand to release a blade hidden up his sleeve to bury deep in her skull. He wasn't sure if he would be quicker than her magic and it seemed almost pointless now that he had what he wanted. 

He gripped the sceptre in his hand, savouring its feeling even if it was through the material of the cloth. Loki made sure not to take his eyes off her as he carefully picked up his machete from the ground. Despite the witch giving him the sceptre Loki wasn't foolish enough to let his guard down. He certainly wouldn't trust her after entering his mind without permission.  
  
"You might want to hurry if you want to get out of here alive," The white-haired man smirked.

The man winked at Loki and then there was suddenly rush of air breezing past him. All at once they were both simply not there anymore. Loki twisted around but there was no one but him in the room. It was almost like the witch and the white-haired man had never been there to start with.  
  
Loki decided to take the strange white-haired man's advice and moved to leave as quickly as he could. Avoiding looking at the Leviathan Loki left the room quicker than he had arrived but this time with the sceptre gripped in his hand. It was a relief to finally have it, now all he had to do was keep it.

Loki slipped his machete back into its sheath at his hip as he moved into the room up the stairs. Spotting a blur of red, Loki ducked behind one of the stations before he even fully comprehended the sight.

Loki gripped the sceptre tight and peered over the side of the station. Loki glimpsed over the top and saw the blur of red was Iron Man as he had expected. Thankfully Iron Man hadn't spotted him but Loki still froze as the helmet turned to seemingly survey the room. Loki watched as the glowing eye slits stopped where he was hidden. Loki held his breath as he tried to remain perfectly still as to not make a sound. He didn't let out a single breathe until Stark's metal gaze moved away and towards the open doorway. Loki stayed hidden until Iron Man moved through the hidden door in the wall that Loki had left open.

Loki dragged himself up, moving from the room with a smirk. Stark wouldn't find anything of use in that room anymore. Loki twisted the sceptre in his hand, enjoying its feel between his hand and knowing that the Avengers wouldn't have it. 

Loki moved back into the other room and stepped over the dead bodies littering the floor. The bodies looked as if they'd gone cold a long time ago and had long since drained of blood. 

When Loki couldn't spot Fenrir immediately he did his best not to let tension rise up in his body. Instead Loki followed the sound of gunfire, screams and roars into the next room.

As Loki entered he instantly had to duck as the gunfire turned on him. The bullets ripped into the wall where he had been moments before. Loki dodged and swung the sceptre hard into a man's face sending him flying into the next wall. There was a loud crunch and Loki couldn't tell if it was the impact or the caved in face that killed him.

Loki threw himself at the next man trying to reload and stabbed him in the chest with the sceptre. The sharp blades easily dug into him and torn his chest open. Loki swung his legs around tripping another man and flung a knife that embedded itself in the man's chest.   
  
"LOKI!" He heard shouted over the sound of gunfire.   
  
Loki took down the next man with ease and moved in a series of twists that ended with his legs wrapped around a man's throat in one moment and flipping to trip and hit other men in the next moments. It was only as Loki was slitting another man's throat that he was able to glance in the direction of the person who had shouted.   
  
Loki narrowed his eyes as he spotted Captain America at the edge of the room, taking out one of the other men. The Captain darted forward and Loki flung a knife at him. The Captain raised his shield and the knife was deflected with a metallic ping.  
  
Loki grimaced. He really didn't need this right now.  He just wanted to find Fenrir and get out of here with the sceptre. Loki was _not_ looking for a fight with any of the Avengers.  
  
"You don't need to do this," Captain America told him firmly.   
  
Loki rolled his eyes and flicked his wrist to release a blade to gut an agent who had been trying to sneak up on him.   
  
Loki threw himself to the side seconds before the Captain's shield flew past the air where Loki would have been. The shield rebounded off the back wall and returned to Captain America's hand. Loki grabbed a discarded gun from the ground and started firing rapidly at the Captain. Loki didn't land any proper hits as most were blocked by the Roger's shield but the bulleted did cause the Captain to back up. 

Loki slung a gun over his shoulder, fastening the strap, and yelled, "Fenrisúlfr, við þurfum að fara núna!"

  
Loki was hoping Fenrir could hear him as he was sure from the sounds of growls and screams that Fenrir was in the next room.  

A confused look spread over the Captain's face so Loki raised an eyebrow in his direction. This seemed to prompt the Captain to throw himself into an attack against him. Loki dodged and ducked his fast assaults. If the Captain landed even a blow it could easily break a bone or kill him. Loki didn't have the durability that he once did so he had to be more careful than he normally was and a lot more agile.

Loki swung his sceptre as he dodged the Captain's attacks. Loki managed to land a couple of hits whilst continuously moving out of the way of strikes and blows. It was satisfying to see blood running down the Captain's face even if it didn't seem to deter his continued assault. 

The Captain tried to strike him with his shield but Loki flipped backwards. Loki quickly rolled as the shield rebounded and was thrown back. The window behind him shattered from the impact, sending glass across the floor, as the shield returned to the Captain's hand.  
  
"Fenrisúlfr!" Loki yelled louder, "Komdu, förum!"

Moments later Fenrir burst into the room. The look of shock that crossed the Captain's face was priceless but he paid it little attention as he was distracted by the relief of seeing his son again. Loki glanced up and down his son but couldn't spot any immediate injuries. Loki let out a quiet sigh, he didn't know what he would do if someone had hurt Fenrir. In fact Loki didn't think anyone in their right mind would want to find out.

Fenrir seemed to grin at him, _"You've got it?"_  
  
Loki nodded in conformation before quickly telling him, "We need to go."  
  
Glancing over Loki noticed the Captain was hurriedly talking on what looked like an earpiece. Loki turned his gaze around and quickly assessed that the exits were blocked by more men and the Captain would probably out run him before he reached the other door.

His sights fell on the shattered window behind him. Through the cracked jagged opening Loki could see a dangerously steep slope leading all the way down into snow and then onwards to the forest.  Loki glanced at Fenrir who was staring intently at him and then at the men converging at the door before returning his sights on the window.  

Loki let a grin slowly spread across his face as he turned to his son, "This is going to hurt a little."  
  
The Captain seemed to startle and tried to run forward to intercept whereas Fenrir looked ready to laugh. Loki's grin widened and he threw himself through the window.

Cold air hit him and Loki was quick to tuck his body in, holding the sceptre at the right angle. Loki's body hit the slope hard causing him to grunt before he tumbled into free fall. Loki rolled and rolled barely avoiding sharp rocks and particularly hard parts. Loki could feel his teeth rattling in his mouth as he avoiding biting his tongue. As Loki twisted he caught a glimpse of Fenrir bounding down the slope not far behind him. Fenrir was leaping rock to rock with agile of a goat rather than a wolf.  
  
Loki reached the bottom and twisted onto his feet and immediately started running. One of his legs throbbed from where he must have struck it too hard but he ignored it in favour of running full pelt.

Loki caught a glimpse of a blur of red and blue not far behind them. He cursed but he wasn't fully surprised that the Captain had followed him so he pushed himself into a faster run. Fenrir jogged beside him at an ease pace with his tongue hanging out, not looking too concerned.   
  
The stretch to the woods left him vulnerable to any number of attacks and he was annoyed that it was a lot further than it previously looked. Loki could hear the Captain only about ten meters behind him.   
  
_"There's no horse waiting for you. I don't think you'll be able to out run him without one,"_ Fenrir murmured into his mind, sounding vaguely worried.  
  
Loki let out a growl, concentrating too much on his breathing to reply. He could do this, he had to.  
  
_"Get on my back,"_ Fenrir insisted, jogging along side him, _"I can run a lot faster."_  
  
Loki felt his brows rise up in surprise. He hadn't even thought of that as an option. It certainly wasn't an option he would have suggested and yet it wasn't the worse of ideas. After all Fenrir could run faster than most things, including the Captain not far behind.  
  
_"We won't outrun them like this."_ Fenrir pestered, snapping his teeth together.

Loki could feel his legs burning underneath him. His breathing was becoming a lot rougher and he could hear the Captain only getting closer.   
  
"Fine," Loki muttered and was instantly rewarded by a grin from his son.  
  
Loki threw himself up onto higher land, which seemed to confuse the Captain up until Loki leaped at Fenrir and managed to land partly on Fenrir's back. Loki gripped his fur and pulled himself forward, swinging his leg over. It was made harder due to the sceptre which meant he had to climb onto the wolf's back one handed whilst still in motion. Yet after a couple of tries Loki was on Fenrir's back.  
  
_"Are you on?"_  
  
Loki told him he was and Fenrir suddenly darted forward. All at once Fenrir wasn't jogging but running. To avoid falling from his back Loki had to hold tightly as Fenrir shot forward. Loki could feel the power of the paws moving beneath him when they tore through the snow. Loki could hear the harsh panting of his son's breath whilst he ran faster than one would have thought possible, even for a wolf.   
  
They reached the trees and Fenrir dodged and weaved through them with ease. Loki had to cling to his back as to not fall off but at the same time he didn't hold too tight for fear he would hurt Fenrir. Loki leant fully against his son as Fenrir leapt over fallen branches and darted straight between the trees.   
  
Loki could no longer hear the Captain behind them, suggesting that even Steve Rogers couldn't keep up with this speed. Yet Fenrir didn't slow and in fact he moved faster. The snow flung up around them in white powered dust as his son's legs kicked it up. Loki could feel Fenrir's heavy breath from the effort through the movement of his chest.   
  
There was a sudden blast of blue light and Fenrir whined dodging to the side as snow exploded all around them. Loki nearly lost his grip and fell but managed to dig his legs in to keep his balance. Fenrir snarled and threw himself through the wood.  Loki glimpsed a red figure flying over ahead and gritted his teeth. It had to be Tony Stark above him. How _dare_ he even think of touching his son. Loki growled under his breath wishing he could shoot Stark down but it wasn't possible without dropping his sceptre.   
  
More blasts hit either side of them, this time they strayed further from their mark and Loki couldn't tell if that was on purpose or not. He could hear the roar of a vehicle not too far behind them as it crunched through the forest floor. Loki swore under his breath at the same time as Fenrir grumbled and kept his fast pace.   
  
It quickly became a deadly game of tag amongst the trees as Iron Man above them tried to land a hit on their dodging form. Trunks were burnt black and white snow melted as Fenrir easily twisted and ducked shots. Yet this only encouraged more and more shots to fire making it increasingly difficult for Fenrir to manoeuvre them between the blasts and the trees. 

The game of tag came to abrupt end when a sudden crackle of glowing red energy burnt across the sky. The crimson screamed and flung Stark, twisting and turning, off course. There was a massive crash followed by the sound of trees breaking as they were torn apart. Loki's eyes widened even if Fenrir didn't even slow.

Loki caught a glimpse of air around them twisting in the wrong direction. It was as if the air was blurring and shifting before his eyes. Then all at once Loki spotted the white-haired man from before. He was running alongside them with disturbing ease. This man could not be simply mortal as not even Steve Rogers had been able to keep up with the speeds of Fenrir and yet Loki was shocked that the white-haired man didn't break a sweat as he grinned up at them.   
  
"It seems like you're trying to get caught," The man shouted up to him with a quirked eyebrow.   
  
Loki would have shot him a glare but if he twisted around to give him a proper one he would likely fall and that would be embarrassing to say the least.

They ran on for a couple of moment in silence. Loki was starting to wonder if the little witch had something to do with Tony Starks fall. Yet when he glanced at the man to question him he seemed to vanish only to spontaneously reappear on the other side of them.   
  
"You guys run so slow," The white-haired man complained as he twisted to run in front of them _backwards_.

Loki gritted his teeth but ignored the man. The white-haired man gave Loki an uneasy feeling, there was something not right with that him. Yet it was the witch that really made him unease. To find the witch's hands around his head after all those images his mind had spun was...   _wrong_. He didn't like it one bit. Loki didn't know her motivation or the man's, which was something he never liked. It interfered with predicting what they would do next. He guessed there motivation may be linked to their obvious distain for Stark but either way whatever motivated them was working in his favour. The second their angle changed he wouldn't hesitate to end them.  
  
The man drew closer to him, turning to run in the right direction, still matching their speed without breaking a sweat.  
  
"You should go right," The man suggested as he gestured in that direction.  
  
_"Should we..?"_  
  
Loki turned his gaze to the location, not sure whether to trust the man. The sky rumbled with thunder above Loki, causing him to shiver and quickly murmur a yes.  Fenrir didn't pause and simply tore to the right, throwing himself down a sharp decline. The white-haired man was already meters ahead of them, despite him being right next to them only a second prior.  
  
"Come _oooon_ ," The man whined.   
  
Loki wasn't sure whether to cut the man's head off or stick his tongue out at him but he refrained doing either. He let his curiosity to overpower his unease and allowed the man to lead them through the woods. The man had given him the sceptre after all and the witch didn't want the sceptre to fall into Stark's hands so it made sense that he was leading him on a clear escape route. Yet Loki didn't believe for a moment that the Avengers weren't closely behind them. He only hoped they wouldn't catch up with them before they made it back to any pathways close by.   
  
They continued to follow the restless man until scarlet light came into sight and Fenrir came to a sudden stop. Loki slid from his back and did nothing but stare. Before his eyes the witch stood with her arms raised and her legs splayed as her hair spread out in the air. Red tendrils of magic were wrapped around the witch like angry coiling snakes. What was shocking was where her magic was converging. It seemed like her magic was tearing apart reality. The witch was ripping through the fabric of this realm and splintering the branches of Yggdrasil. 

Loki went to draw his blade but scarlet magic wrapped around his hand, forcing his wrist down. He let out a snarl which caused Fenrir to tense and growl threateningly.  The woman slowly turned her sharp gaze on them and Loki saw her eyes were burning scarlet red as if the fires of Muspelheim were trapped within.

The witch frowned at them but didn't lower her burning hands, "You need a way out of here, yes?" The woman's hands twisted and contorted causing the tear to widen, "I can provide that."   
  
Loki's eyes narrowed at the glowing split in reality and it was when Loki examined it properly he realised it wasn't what he first thought. She wasn't splitting the realms; the witch was merely pushing back the weak barrier of space resting against space. It was defying what Loki thought was possible of a mortal but she was forcing a pathway between one place another by pressing the fabric of space between the branches of Yggdrasil together to form her own pathway.   
  
Loki loosened his grip on the handle of his blade and the magic gripping his wrist was instantly released. Fenrir sensed the change in threats and his hackles came back down again and he ceased his growling. The white-haired man watched them warily as he vanished and reappeared in different places. One moment the man was right in front of them, then he was next to the witch and then off in the distance then further and then beside them once more.  
  
Loki watched the witch muttering under her breath and spreading her arms and hands into different positions. Her art was certainly unique and Loki wished he could question her on it but the witch looked too focused on her spell work for him to want to distract her. Loki knew firsthand how dangerous it could be to interrupt a spell halfway through.  
  
_"Duck!"_ Fenrir snarled.  
  
It was thanks to a simple reflex that an arrow skimmed past his head rather than through his skull. Loki remained crouched and twisted his gaze across the trees. Loki's eyes spotted the movement between the trees. A shadow of a man was ducking tree to tree, hiding in the cover of the thick wood. Loki narrowed his gaze and focused on the man with the bow. Loki suspected from man's height and stance that it had to be Barton and the fact the man had a bow should be evidence enough.

Not moving his eyes off Barton, Loki drew his stolen gun from his back. Loki took aim and he let loose rapid shots. The gunfire echoed loudly between the trees and Loki could have sworn he heard a yelp of surprise as Barton rolled back behind the hill for better cover. Loki narrowed his eyes. He wished he could have got a cleared shot at him but it wasn't even as if guns were his speciality.

Loki dug his nails into his palms. He did not need _this_ right now. It was supposed to be a quick in and out to fetch the sceptre. The Avengers were not meant to be here, they were not meant not meant to _interfere_. _  
  
_ Loki heard the sound of boots crunching in snow and spun. He saw that rushing down the other side of hill was Steve Rogers with his shield in hand. Loki scowled, the other Avengers were most likely not far behind the Captain. Yet he still had to wait for his little witch to finish opening him a pathway.

Loki aimed a shot and went to fire at the Captain. He knew the shot wouldn't kill the man but it should hinder him. Yet as he lined up the shot and pulled the trigger, the gun jammed. Loki swore, shifting the mechanism in his hand as he reloaded it in the way Eric had shown him months ago. 

However as Loki aimed his gun again a huge rush of air pressed past him as everything blurred in a swirl of wind. When everything cleared it seemed like the Captain was being knocked from side to side. His body was thrown back and forth so fast even Loki's eyes couldn't keep track of it until the Captain fell like a stone. The Captain lay crumpled on the ground with his shield metres away from him. Standing over the Captain, the white-haired man grinned in Loki's direction right up until the moment he was knocked off his feet by the fallen hero.  
  
Loki's attention was turned away when lightening tore through the sky. Loki stared at the striking white veins of light that spread across the sky. His body turned cold. Thunder rumbled over ahead him seemed to be filled with wrath and fury. His throat felt tight at the sound of something so familiar yet so alien at the same time. It was a sound that would have once brought relief but now brought the opposite. Fenrir let out a snarl in response to the loud thunder and it was only Loki's hand on his son's shoulder that stopped his son launching an attack.   
  
Loki glanced at the witch surrounded by the swirls of red magic. Her mouth was moving ever so slight which was the only clue that she was actually muttering under her breath as she seemed to do so silently. The pathway she was creating in front of her, which would aid their escape, was still not wide enough and so Loki was going to have to hold off the Avengers a while longer if he wanted to keep the sceptre.  
  
Loki spotted Barton trying to sneak up his other side. The man had his bow drawn but Loki took a couple of more shots at him. Some bullets cut into the trees but most struck the place that Barton would have been if he hadn't dived for cover behind the trees, without releasing his arrows.

Loki kept firing every time the archer ducked out of the trees. The archer managed a couple of shots but Loki was quick to dodge them and the ones that struck Fenrir didn't stick. Loki kept shooting at him, driving Barton back, until he ran out of ammo and had to discard his gun.

Loki was about to draw his throwing knives when there was a huge crash of thunder over head.  
  
" **LOKI!** " A familiar voice boomed.  
  
Loki swore, knowing that voice and wishing he didn't. Loki felt himself tensing up. He did not need this right now.

Loki looked up in time to see red and gold flying through air. Just behind the swirl of fury Loki caught sight of the raised hammer aimed directly for him. Loki dived to the side to avoid becoming part of the crater that had formed in Mjölnir's wake.

Loki barely recovered before Thor took another swing at him. He knew if he had been anyone else his body would have frozen up. Their heart would have been racing with fear and they stood unable to move with the knowledge that that a single blow of Thor's hammer would kill them. However Loki used the adrenaline coursing through his veins to his advantage, allowing it to force him body into action. It allowed him to flip backwards to avoid the hammers blow and retaliate with a swipe of his sceptre. The sharp edge of the sceptre easily sliced into Thor as he brought it whipping through the air.   
  
Loki stared at Thor's thunderous expression and grinned back in the way he knew made him look mad, ignoring the sinking feeling in his gut. He ducked and exchanged blows with the Thunderer, reminding himself that he only needed to hold him off for a couple of minutes. The last time he had glanced at the pathway it had nearly been wide enough so if he could hold off Thor freedom would soon be within his grasp.

Thor opened his mouth to shout something, most likely a demand, but Thor never got that far. Fenrir pounced at Thor and tried to sink his teeth deep into his shoulder. Yet Thor immediately swung his hammer around and struck Fenrir hard. There was a sickening thud and his son was sent flying back from the blow with a sharp whine. There was snapping of branches as Fenrir collided with several trees.

Loki let out a scream of rage. He barely realised what he was doing until he threw himself at Thor. The Thunderer dodged his attacks but through the red haze that seemed to obscure his sight, Loki could see surprise was plastered across Thor's face as his sceptre clashed against his hammer. Loki snarled at Thor, swinging and cutting with the ferocity of a berserker.   
  
"Brother, stop this!" Thor bellowed with a swing of his hammer that nearly took his head off, "Give up the sceptre! We ne--"  
  
Loki glared at Thor, his lips drawn back in a malicious snarl. Loki threw a knife in one swift flick of his wrist. This forced Thor to dodge to avoid it giving Loki the opening to swing his sceptre low to trip him.

Loki could have sworn he could feel his blood was boiling in his veins. His whole body felt hot and coiled deep inside him. The image of Fenrir being flung like a ragdoll was seared into his mind permanently. No one touched his son. No one. How **_dare_** Thor touch Fenrir, much less hurt him.  
  
Loki roared and struck Thor across the head. The metal of the sceptre sliced him, drawing blood. The blow was not hard enough to send Thor flying like it would have when Loki had been at full strength but it did send him staggering back.

It wasn't enough. The simple drawing of blood and exchanging of blows wasn't going to be enough. Loki needed more for this insult. Loki needed cut Thor to pieces, take him apart. Loki would make it that no one would ever harm Fenrir ever again.

Loki took another swing but sudden Thor wasn't there. He was on the other side of the clearing right next to the witch with the white-haired man's hand around his wrist. Loki yanked his hand from his grip, glaring at the man's smirking expression.  
**  
** "It's time to go," The witch told him, "I can't keep this open for long."

The witch pointed to the pathway, which in his rage he had not realised had opened fully. He could still feel his fury boiling under his skin, ready to turn him on anything that can in proximity of him. Yet he gritted his teeth, staring at the swirling mass of red that revealed a glowing pathway of a promised escape. He was so _close_. He needed to control himself.  
  
Loki managed to stop himself swinging at her or throwing himself back into a fight with Thor. He could feel the control over himself coming to him again as he saw Fenrir climbing up. It was hard to tell from this distance but there didn't seem to be any immediate injures on his son as he sprinted towards him without even a limp. Behind Fenrir Loki could see Thor was already charging towards him. 

Loki turned his gaze to the pathway behind him. He could feel the power radiating off it as the pathway was constantly trying to close in on itself in an attempt to reject its creation. Yet as Loki looked through it he could not see clearly where the pathway led. It was simply a swirling pool of red torn matter.

  
"Where does this pathway lead?" Loki asked quickly, knowing he had little time before Thor was upon him once more and his chance to escape with Fenrir would pass.  
  
The witch shrugged, "Away from here," She was still holding her glowing hands wide as she continued in a strained voice, "You need to get away from here with the sceptre, yes?"

Loki nodded, turning his sights on Fenrir who had nearly reached him. Loki had maybe a couple of seconds to decide whether or not to throw himself through the pathway. He would have liked more time to think on it. He didn't trust the two mortals and yet their interested aligned briefly with his.

  
Loki looked at the white-haired man stood beside him. The white-haired man gave him one of the widest grins Loki had ever seen. Giving him a wink the white-haired man suddenly jumped through the pathway and vanished from sight in the swirl of red as he was sucked through.   
  
Time seemed to slow as Loki stared at Thor rushing towards him. He could see the Thunder's hammer raised high in a deadly threat. In the distance he could spot the Archer and the Captain not far behind but nearly in range to do damage. Behind him he could see sweat dripping from the witch's brow as she struggled to keep his only viable means of escape open.

As his son pulled closer, Loki could finally see Fenrir properly. Loki's eyes were drawn to the blood dripping from Fenrir's muzzle and it was clear to him that the blood was his son's. Loki could instantly feel his fury rising up in him once more. He wanted to throw himself at Thor once more but even in the haze he knew it was a fight he couldn't win and he knew he couldn't protect his son if he was dead.

Just when Fenrir pulled up next to him and Thor came within range, Loki let his instinct take him, after all it had never failed him yet. Letting out a yell Thor swung his hammer at him with all his might but Loki threw himself backward out of the path of the weapon. Loki fell out of the way and straight into the pathway glowing behind him. He just managed to catch sight of Fenrir leaping in after him before they were consumed by red.

They lost sense of self and became one with the twisting mass because that was what they became and had always been. There was no up and down or beginning and end since the red swirl they had become was part of Yggdrasil and yet never had been.

Loki was distantly aware that the white snow of the forest and thunder overhead had been replaced with the hum of warm magic that now embraced them. Yet the rest of his awareness disappeared and they both fell through the witch's pathway into the unknown. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I sat down to quickly edit this and it turned into an almost rewrite where I went from 7,000 words to 16,000! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, I was a little worried publishing this. It kind of follows the beginning of Age of Ultron but it is definitely Au-ish


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